


Another World

by nctsatan127



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: F/M, Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 15:42:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21304523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nctsatan127/pseuds/nctsatan127
Summary: "Even my darkness shines for you."Sicheng had seen Yuta in his dreams in his childhood before he disappeared for 15 years following an incident with his mother.He ends up being dragged into his dream friend's world, alongside his own best friend, Jaehyun, a mortal who has no idea of what is about to occur.Neither knew they were about to step right into the middle of a battle for the throne of this mythical realm.{story loosely based on Splintered by A.G. Howard}
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. prologue

Dancing had been a hobby of Sicheng's since he was aged only three years old. His mother had always been keen on the idea of her son taking up some kind of hobby from a young age so he could bloom at it. She was thrilled when he took to dancing and especially at such a young age. His primary school offered no dance program which led to the young boy joining the dance school which was about a 30 minute drive away. He had lessons every Thursday afternoon and performed in a concert once a month alongside his fellow peers.

Sicheng always found a great delight in dancing. Whenever he was stressed or anxious, he'd ask his parent's permission to travel to the studio down the road. Due to his young age, his parents always stressed that he go with his friend. Jaehyun lived two doors down and was the same age as the boy. They attended the same dance school and had shared the same passion. The Jung family were always more than happy to send the pair off on their merry way to dance away.

Sicheng had an older sister who was an instructor at this studio. She would always check in every now and then to make sure the two boys weren't getting into trouble in the room which they'd share alone. The reason as to which Sicheng and Jaehyun didn't attend the dance classes here was due to the simple fact that only student's who have graduated a prior dance school can be accepted. There are still another 10 years which need to be completed before the two boys can advance to this school. They are still only six years old which leaves this as their third year at the current dance school.

It was Thursday which meant they had a class. This weekend they were performing for the entirety of the primary school which the boys were attending. This meant a lot to them as all of their peers would be able to see them showcasing the performance which they'd been working on for a while. Today was the last opportunity for the dancers to perfect their routines, meaning any imperfections would need to be addressed before the end of the class.

All the students chatted amongst each other quite happily as they waited for their teacher to arrive. Some were already beginning their stretches whilst others just sat on the floor and mucked around. Sicheng was in a split position, reaching toward the ceiling as Jaehyun rambled on about how his dog had eaten his mother's favourite pair of shoes. Apparently, she was fuming, and the child had to take his pet outside in order for it to escape the wrath of Mrs Jung.

The chatter ceased as soon as the doors to the studio creaked open. The instructor had arrived, smiling at each and every one of them as she made her way to the front of the room. Placing down her belongings she does a roll call to make sure each student was present.

It wasn't long before they had started the routine. Each student seemed to be acing their part, especially Sicheng as he just allowed for the flow of the music to control the flow of his body. His talent for dancing had always left his teacher beyond impressed. Jaehyun would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous of his friend's talents. The older had always been slightly stiffer than the other. He was still great at dancing, he just wasn't amazing.

Yet Sicheng's talent of staying immersed in the music would play out to be a bad habit of his. The events of that Saturday night would prove this immensely.

The music was louder then usual for this performance. Sicheng and Jaehyun were backstage trying to calm their nerves by mucking around together. When their instructor signalled that it was time for them to venture onto the stage, they murmured words of luck before taking up their positions. Immediately, Sicheng tuned out the rest of the world as he just tuned in with the music which was blasting from the speakers.

The first half of the performance went smoothly. No one had noticed the screws which were becoming looser with each beat of the song. The small light was slowing becoming loose on the roof. Its heavy metal frame meant the effect of gravity was having it's affect a lot sooner.

Sicheng didn't hear the screams of warnings from his peers and instructor as the light fell. He was too caught in the music that he just remained stationary, gaze lowered as he waited for the music to change, signalling his departure from the stage. Yet he never heard it, as the light came crashing down on top of his head.

The world went black.

•••

"Wake up," A delicate voice exclaims. The owner behind it sounds as though they were quite bored as they speak.

Sicheng could tell something was off from the moment he regained his senses. Not only did the voice of this boy belong to a stranger, but the air was different. He needn't open his eyes to learn that he was in a foreign environment. The air was much clearer hear and the surroundings seemed to quiet, excluding soft murmurs which surrounded him.

Slowly, yet cautiously, he flickers open his eyes, daring to take a first glance at his new surroundings. He is seated upon a tall rock which is implanted on a grassy patch of land. Trees form a circle around this space, it seems as though he were located within a clearing in a forest.

An overwhelming sense of fear takes over the little boy's senses as he notices the other boy beside him. He is dressed in a dark suit, which surprises Sicheng considering this stranger looks to be not too much older than himself. The other boy has black hair which is due for a cut, it is at a length which suggest this boy is untidy. He wears a top hat upon his head which shadows his features as Sicheng looks down at him, hiding the majority of his head and face.

"Don't cry," He speaks.

Sicheng rushes into a seated position, hugging his knees against his chest as he just trembles at the sight of the stranger.

"I'm a friend. No harm is going to come of you, here." The dark haired boy raises his hands in surrender.

"Where am I?" Sicheng cries out.

"Do you want to come down from there?" The boy ignores his question. "I'll answer everything if you come down here."

Sicheng finds himself believing the boy as he shuffles himself onto the edge of the rock. He is too short to be able to simply jump off which causes for him to come to a halt. He doesn't have a moment to speak a word as he feels a gentle hand taking his own. He looks in front of him to see the strange boy smiling at him.

Sicheng doesn't know where to look first, at the deep blue, black outlined wings (which were quite similar to those of a moth) that were attached to this boy as he hovered before him or the exposed face of his which beheld a jewel in the shape of a tear drop beneath his right eye.

The boy pulls him from the ledge and quickly lowers the pair onto the ground beneath them. As soon as it is safe to do so, Sicheng pulls away from this boy, rushing to lean against the rock, placing some distance between the two.

"You have wings," Sicheng points at the black and blue version of what he has seen on moths.

"I have magic," The other grins.

The murmuring which Sicheng heard before begins to pick up again as the other says this. As if he could read his mind, the raven haired boy speaks once more.

"We've been waiting for you, Sicheng. Ignore the chatter from the wind, it's merely excited to see you with us."

"The wind?" Sicheng's small mind had heard many stories, his mother mentioned the whispers of the wind to him once, yet he didn't believe her.

The boy nods firmly. He removes the hat from his head, the jewel on his cheek glistens a thick tone of purple as he allows for the hat to fall onto the ground. Placing his arms behind his back, he continues to grin at Sicheng.

"My name is Yuta," He finally introduces himself. "We are going to be the best of friends."

Sicheng doesn't say anything as he tries to step backward further, the cool surface of the rock presses deeper against his back. Something about this person's aura makes the boy feel as though he cannot trust him. He must be stuck in a dream, surely.

Magic doesn't exist.

Magic isn't real.

"Magic is as real as the toast which you eat for breakfast every day," Yuta speaks as though he read the thoughts in Sicheng's head. "This place is also real. I'm real. You'll grow to understand it soon enough."

"Home doesn't look like this," Sicheng denies. "There is no magic there. Magic only appears in TV and in dreams."

"They don't teach you about this reality, Sicheng. The mortals are too afraid of what they don't understand, so they decide to pretend it doesn't exist," Yuta sounds like an adult due to the way of which he speaks.

The brown haired boy moves his arms to hug himself as he meets the other's gaze. The more he speaks, the more he finds himself wondering what the hell is going on. He just wants to go home. If this place is real, then surely, he could just leave.

Yuta takes a few steps towards him, crouching as he plucks a few strands of grass from the soil at his feet. Standing once more, he extends his open palm, offering the torn grass to the other. Sicheng hesitantly moves to take it. His small hand brushes against Yuta's as he grasps the blades of grass. It is only once he holds the grass in his own hand, that he notices how sharp it has become. He gasps as he suddenly retracts his hand, allowing for the grass to fall to the ground once more.

"This place is filled with many, delicate little wonders." Yuta starts to explain, the jewel on his cheek fades to be transparent. "Each thing, living or dead is able to protect itself. Isn't that just marvellous?"

Sicheng doesn't understand most of the concepts which this boy speaks of, yet he doesn't voice his confusion, just hoping for whatever this is to end soon.

"I want to go home," He opts to voice instead.

Yuta smirks at the dear boy, the jewel turning purple once more.

"Soon enough you will come to accept this as your home," He remarks. "You just need more time. That is where I come in, I will teach you all of the secrets of this place and one day you will live here. Yet, for now we can only meet whilst you are asleep."

"Why did you only appear now?" Sicheng raises the obvious question.

"What would be the fun in just showing up as soon as you were born?" Is the only response which Yuta gives. Sicheng is left only more bewildered by this response.

The colour from the forest around them slowly begins to flicker, like a light which is almost out of charge, before fading into darkness. Yuta and Sicheng both notice this, a new heightened sense of anxiety takes control of Sicheng. The jewel on Yuta's cheek turns blue as he takes a step back toward the darkness.

"Our time is up for now my dear boy," He smiles softly. "Do not worry for we shall meet again soon. Now it is time for you to wake up."

That is the last thing that leaves his lips, before Sicheng witnesses the boy being enveloped in the darkness as he fades away along with the rest of the world.

•••

Sicheng woke that morning in the hospital with his parents surrounding his bedside. Even Jaehyun had been there waiting as well. The young boy had suffered a mild concussion from the fallen light and other than that, he was fine.

He remembered the entirety of his dream, including the smell of that strange environment and the texture of the rock which he had leaned against. Remembering the blades of grass which he had held, the boy had examined his small hand, stunned to see a small cut from it.

The next few weeks, Sicheng had spent at home, taking time to recover from the concussion. He couldn't attend dance classes or school yet his friend, Jaehyun visited him every day. He would be sure to update the younger on what had been happening in classes as well as the songs they were learning choreography for. Sometimes he would even provide a demonstration.

These visits seemed to be the only thing which kept Sicheng sane. He saw Yuta every time he closed his eyes. Each night he would travel back to the strange world which he still knew near to nothing about. Yuta promised he would teach him it's secrets but at first, they had to build trust between each other.

Having fully recovered nearly a month later, Sicheng was able to push past his initial lack of trust for the strange boy of his dreams, finally beginning to let him in and become friends with the dark haired boy.

It was only then that Yuta felt as though it were the right time for him to begin his teachings.

This continued for a year until Sicheng was seven years old. He decided he wanted to share the news of his new dream friend. He felt as though he were one of the luckiest boys to be alive. During his wake he would be with Jaehyun, then during his sleep he would be with Yuta.

He managed to raise the idea one night during dinner, his mother was tired after spending the entire day dealing with new recruits at her work whilst his father was his usual, bubbly self. Sicheng's sister was seated beside him as per usual and was yet to have a shower after her day of dance class teaching.

"Tell us about your day, my boy," His father queries, slurping on the ramen noodles.

"I spent a lot of time working on the project for class. The one I'm doing with Jae," Sicheng explains as he happily stuffs his mouth with the delicious food which has been prepared by his mother. She is by far the best cook he has ever come across. To be fair he hasn't come across a lot but she is amazing.

"Is it coming along nicely?" His mother smiles softly.

Sicheng hums in response as he focuses on his food for a few moments before bringing up what he has been wanting to bring up for a while now.

"I've been wanting to tell you about a new friend of mine," He begins speaking quietly. His parents and sister seem to be immediately interested by this new development in his life as they all patiently wait for him to continue explaining.

"We've actually seen each other for over a year. And only at night, in my dreams."

Sicheng's mother's expression fades to one of slight concern as she hears this revelation. She doesn't say anything about her concerns though as she waits for her son to continue.

"His name is Yuta and he lives in a world different to ours. I don't remember what it's called but he's been teaching me about all it's secrets and of all the creatures which live within. He's different to Jae in the way that I only see him on my dreams. That's the only time we can meet."

It is his father who speaks up first, his mother seems to be too deep in her thoughts whilst his sister is waiting for them to say something first. "That's great, Sicheng. I'm pleased for you."

"Does this Yuta by any chance have a jewel beneath his right eye which changes colour?" His mother asks in a tone which would suggest she knows of this boy. "Black hair? Blue moth wings?"

Nodding, Sicheng mutters a yes as he raises his surprised gaze to look at his mother who has pushed away her bowl, placing down her utensils as he stares intensely at her lap.

"You have to stay away from him. He is no good. He will only bring evil and ruin you my dear son."

"Calm down honey," His father places down his own utensils as he reaches out to gently squeeze his wife's hand. "It's just an imaginary friend."

"Remember when I was friends with Manon? That fairy whom I also saw in my sleep?" Sicheng's sister brings up the memory to her family. "I was convinced this other place existed and she was even the second hand of some King called...I don't recall his name."

"Doyoung," Their mother whispers his name.

"Ahhh it was Doyoung indeed," His sister exclaims. "I remember just before she stopped visiting my dreams, she spoke of a new King who had taken over the other side of the land. Apparently he was feared amongst the population as he was cruel and cold hearted. Isn't it just fascinating how a child's imagination can be so interesting and detailed?"

Sicheng sighs as he raises his voice once more. "This is real though. I think I've heard Yuta mention Doyoung before. I don't remember fully but that name does ring a bell. This place...I didn't believe it at first but it's real. Magic is real."

"There are a lot of people with the name Doyoung," His mother snaps, a little on the harsh side. "You need to stop communicating with Yuta and that's final. He will only bring you down and you have such a bright future ahead of you."

"But I really like him Mum, he's really kind and we have a lot of fun together—" Sicheng gets cut off by her.

"Enough!" She slams her hands down on the table, frightening the poor boy. "You tell Yuta when you see him tonight that he is to never interact with you again."

Tears welling in his eyes, Sicheng doesn't say anything else as he just nods, agreeing silently. His father glares at his wife before moving to be by his son's side. Taking the boy's arm, he gently leaves the room with him. He crouches before him, smiling as he wipes his tears away.

"Mum is just having a rough day. Don't take too much of what she says to heart," He states in a soft voice, trying to not he overheard by the others who are in the room next to them.

"I don't want to say goodbye to Yuta," Sicheng cries softly.

"You don't have to," His father responds simply. "I think it's great you've found a new friend. Keep him by your side for as long as you'd like him to be there. No matter what your mother says."

•••

Sicheng continued to visit his dream friend for another month, managing to keep it hidden from his mother. He would only ever speak of his adventures to his sister and sometimes his father. They all decided it was best to keep her out of the loop. It was the only way Sicheng was able to keep his friend.

He revealed Yuta to Jaehyun as well which seemed to surprise him at first but he just went along with it. He remembered his own mother telling him of imaginary friends so he knew that Yuta was just Sicheng's first one. He just played along with his friend's beliefs, not wanting to upset him.

Never did Sicheng know, everything would fall apart on that one autumn day when he was seven years old.

He was watching Spongebob Squarepants with his sister in the lounge room whilst his mother was gardening outside. Their father was having a shower.

Something within him made him turn his head to gaze out the window which provided vision to the back garden of the house. The yard was a reasonable size with a fair amount of flowers and bushes for Mrs Dong to be able to go crazy with.

Looking outside, his eyes quickly landed on a moth which was fluttering around the red roses. It was quite large which dark blue wings, ones which were the exact same as those which adorned the back of Yuta. This clicked in the boy's brain immediately as he instantly rose from his seated position on the couch. Telling his sister he would be back in a moment, he made his way into the backyard.

"Yuta?" He called his friends name as he approached the moth. The bug flew closer to him, landing on his extended hand. The boy had only a brief moment to smile at this creature before someone suddenly smacked at his hands, causing for the moth to become air-born once more.

"Get away from my son!" Sicheng's mother yells harshly as he extends the garden shears in her hands to snip at the moth. She goes to chase it around the yard but her son is quick to get in her way.

Wanting to defend his friend, he holds his arms in front of him which provides a barrier between him and the moth which keeps flying right behind his head. However, Mrs Dong doesn't notice her son's position as she cuts with the shears, aiming at the moth again.

Sicheng cries out in pure pain as the shears cut his forearms. The moth disappears as the boy falls to the ground, blood quickly leaking down onto the green grass. Mrs Dong drops the shears as she rushes to crouch by her son's side.

Sicheng spent the next 24 hours in hospital as they made sure his wound didn't grow an infection. He had to get a few injections to maintain his immunity to the possible diseases which could be contracted from the rusting shears.

Mr Dong and his daughter had been mortified after seeing Mrs Dong's outburst. Seeing her injure her own son so badly due to believing a moth was an evil spirit...It scared Sicheng's father. It made him fearful of his children's safety. He had no faith that she would be able to hold herself together in order to safely raise the kids, especially not Sicheng.

After much thought and discussing the possibility with his wife's parents, their daughter and many doctors, he admitted his wife into an asylum where she'd be able to receive the help she needed to recover and be able to function normally once more. He would be able to visit along with both of their children each Friday so they wouldn't be cutting her off completely.

Sicheng took the news badly. He didn't understand what an asylum was but he knew it meant his mother wouldn't be coming home for a long time. This made him feel guilty as it was due to his own injury that she had been sent away. He had to protect his friend. He couldn't allow for his mother to kill him.

That night in the hospital, was the first night in nearly two years that Sicheng didn't meet with Yuta in his dreams. He woke that morning with a bad taste in his mouth. He couldn't help but feel as though something had happened on the other realm.

The next night when he fell asleep, he was able to meet with his friend once more.

•••

The jewel beneath his eye flashed a light blue as Yuta approached the boy who had woken on the rock bed. He flew up to his side and assisted him onto the ground as he had done each night. Only this night was different. Sicheng could tell that instantly. The way his friend was composed was different. Not to add that he had never seen that colour on Yuta's jewel. He had come to learn over time that this jewel changed colour depending on the others mood. He was slowly learning what each colour meant. Yet this one was a pure mystery.

"How are your arms?" Yuta immediately questions as he softly touches the bandages, trying to get a look at the wounds he caused.

"They're fine, you needn't worry about me," Sicheng begins speaking happily. Yet his expression quickly fades as he reveals the next statement. "They took Mum away. She won't be coming back for a long time."

"I know," Yuta sighs as he backs off from Sicheng, scratching the back of his neck. He wears no hat today which reveals his hair to be a bit of a mess. It looks as though it hasn't been cleaned for a few days. "Listen, Sicheng...This won't make any sense to you right now but once you're older you will understand." He begins.

"I made a mistake by escaping through the portal. I wanted to see if I could turn back to my human form and visit you but it didn't work. I also didn't realise your mother was still there. She was meant to be at work."

"What happened between you two?" The boy asks, innocently.

Yuta smirks at the sound of his innocence, "We go way back. We ended on bad terms. What I'm trying to say is that I won't be able to see you for a while. We are going to have to spend some time apart."

Sicheng doesn't like what he is hearing at all, not even in the slightest. He rushes forwards to grab on his friend's sleeve.  
"I don't want to leave you."

Yuta smiles sadly. He gently raises his right hand and extends his flattened palm towards Sicheng's forehead. He places it close enough that the other can feel the warmth radiating from his palm, yet no contact is ever made. Slowly he draws his hand back, slowly closing his fingers together. This movement pulls a dark blue string of what seems to be smoke from Sicheng's head. With it out in the open, Yuta mutters something beneath his breath before flattening his palm once more, sending this smoke back to the depths of the boy's head. Sicheng takes a step backward to absorb the impact.

The boy looks up at Yuta, confusion evident in his features as he backs away from the older slowly. He keeps going until his back is pressed against the rock bed behind him, just as he had done upon his first visit.

"Who are you?" He questions.

Yuta takes a long breathe as he just fakes a smile. His spell worked just as it should. Raising both hands this time, he forms a loose cross in the air before harshly snapping his arms down into straight lines. A blue power wave is sent through Sicheng's body.

This causes for him to wake up, having no recollection of his dream from that night.


	2. one.

15 YEARS LATER

The sound of the horns beeping as angered and impatient drivers made their way to work were painstakingly loud. On top of the sound of the cars bypassing the apartment building, it all added up to be a very unpleasant alarm clock for those who occupied any of these places. Especially the apartment block on the corner of one of the main intersections which most drivers seemed to use. The places here were cheaper than most. At first it was hard to know why. The modern and spacious open planned living style of these apartments would tend to raise the price of any place. It isn't until you move in that you discover how thin the walls are. Not just the walls which lead outside but the walls which separate each of the living spaces.

Sicheng was quick to discover this. On his very first night, sleeping in what he had believed as one of the most comfortable king sized beds, he was unpleasantly woken in the midst of the night to the sound of the married couple next door testing out their squeaky bed. The pair seemed to last for way too long as the male could only fall asleep again after three hours had passed. That morning he planned to have a sleep in as he didn't have classes for a few days. Yet he was deprived of this as the traffic outside had caused for him to wake up at the ripe hour of 6am.

Groaning, Sicheng opens one eye to peer at the current time on his alarm clock. It reads 6:37am which is 23 minutes before his alarm was scheduled to go off. He closes his eye once more, burying his head into the pillow as he holds the sides against his ears, doing his best to fend off the loud and irritating sounds from outside.

This barely muffles them.

Giving up, he decides to just kick off the blankets and face the music. He swings his legs over the side of the bed, raising himself into a seated position as he wipes the sleep from his eyes with the palms of his hands. Slipping his feet into the house slippers, he stands up and walks into the small ensuite which extends from the side of his room. Running the water ice cold, he wets his hands before cupping them to hold the water. He leans downward as he splashes it over his face a few times. It quickly wakes him up as he turns the water off once more, moving to gently dab his face dry with the towel.

He walks back into his room, opening the blinds to let in some light. He pauses for a few moments and just takes in the view from outside his window. The cars are moving quite slow as there seems to be road works taking place. It is clear to see how frustration and impatience is growing within the majority of these drivers who remain almost stationary on the roads. Guess this means Sicheng's bus will be late.

Who is he kidding, it's always late.

He has only jut managed to tug on a pair of black, ripped jeans when the sound of his alarm fills the silence within the room. He is quick to turn it off before removing his pyjama shirt, replacing it with a simple white t-shirt, all to be hidden beneath the jacket which he adds for the extra warmth.

The sudden knock on his front door startles him, causing him to lose his train of thought as he makes his way to open the door. Pulling it open, he can't help but smile softly as he sees his closest friend standing in the doorway. The other quite happily combs his fingers through his fluffy, peach coloured hair as he just smiles at the younger before him.

"Morning," He greets.

"Hey," Is all Sicheng says in return as he steps aside, allowing for the older to enter his home. The peach haired male quietly removed his shoes as Sicheng closes the door, walking down the hall and back to his room to continue getting ready.

This leaves the other to his own devices. Following the usual routine the pair have set, the peach haired male males his way to the kitchen, plopping two fresh slices of bread in the toaster. He allows for them to toast away as he gets the essentials out of the fridge. Taking the butter and jam, he places them on the bench before leaning against the counter, waiting for the bread to finish.

The soft ding on the toaster is soon to be heard as the toast is raised up once more, signalling that it is complete. The peach haired male whistles a familiar tone beneath his breath as he prepares to two slices, only pausing once he is finished.

"Sicheng! Breakfast!" He calls out.

"Coming, Jae!" Sicheng yells in a hurry as he rushes out to the kitchen, combing his fingers through his hair several times, allowing for the gel to do its work. He grabs the piece of toast closest to him before taking a bite out of it.

"Did you finish the English assignment?" The peach haired male questions him.

Sicheng chokes on his food, eyes widening as a wave of panic is quick to wash over him.

"What assignment?" His voice comes out quick and panicked. Using the back of his hand to wipe away the crumbs, he is quick to pull out his phone from his pocket, checking the list of projects he has due on the school app. Flashing at the top of the screen in red writing was the title of an assignment which would be worth 25% of his overall mark for the semester. It had completely slipped his mind. He hadn't even started the assignment.

"Don't tell me you didn't do it," Jaehyun scoffs as he raises his gaze to meet the youngers. "You didn't do it. Sicheng, we've had this assignment for over two months."

"I've been so caught up with work that I completely forgot that uni was still a thing," Sicheng exasperates, placing his toast on the plate once more as he drags both his hands down the sides of his face as he tries to think of a valid excuse to give to the teacher.

English was the only class he had this year, having graduated his other classes the year prior. Jaehyun kept going with English alongside him as the pair had dreamed of going to America to study further. The idea of studying the arts of dance at a bigger academy seemed like an excellent goal which the pair had been striving to achieve for a while. However, in order to study in America, one must know the language of English, which has seemed to be quite a struggle.

"We could skip class today," Sicheng suggests, unable to come up with any other way to explain to his teacher why he hadn't even begun the assignment. Jaehyun looks horrified at the idea as he finishes off his toast.

"Skip? Have you lost your mind?"

"Don't be the goody-two-shoes here, Jae. You've managed to attend over 15 years of school without skipping a day. One day isn't that bad and besides, there's a first for everything," The younger tries to convince his friend who already seems to have his mind made up.

"I'd like to keep my streak of not skipping school. I finished the assignment a couple of days ago so there would be no point for me to skip." Jaehyun speaks with a stern look upon his face, his mind isn't going to be changed anytime soon.

"It's just English," Sichend sighs as he starts to accept defeat.

"It's our only class. Each day we go to university to attend one class and not even every day. We are already pretty lucky with that so we should just go," Jaehyun turns the other's argument against him which is one of the things that drives the younger insane. "Speaking of which, we need to go now or we'll be late."

Jaehyun waits for his friend to pick up his half eaten toast before taking the plate to place it in the dishwasher. Sicheng pouts as he finishes off his breakfast, he really isn't ready to fail English today. If his friend won't skip with him, then maybe he will just have to skip on his own. He has done it only twice before and both times he was on his own. Maybe he will be able to successfully complete the assignment today and can hand it in tomorrow. That sounds like the perfect plan.

The peach haired older makes his way to the front door, placing his hand on the handle as he patiently waits for his friend to follow. Sicheng slowly wanders over, slipping into his shoes before walking out the now opened door, Jaehyun right behind him. It isn't until they get out across the street that Sicheng realises he left his phone on the bench. He pats all his pockets making sure that is the case before looking up at his friend with a frown evident on his features. Instantly, Jaehyun rolls his eyes, he knows that look better than anyone.

"You left your phone behind," He sounds slightly annoyed. "If you go up to retrieve it, how will I know that you won't just stay in there and skip class?"

"To be honest with you, I was planning to ditch you at the next café anyway. Cover for me?" Sicheng smiles sheepishly, already beginning to take a few steps backward.

"Food poisoning and gastro, yeah I got you," The peach haired male chuckles lowly as he shakes his head from side to side. "Go home and finish the assignment."

Giving him a big thumbs up, Sicheng can't help but grin as he starts to run backwards. He doesn't have time to react as he notices all the features on his friend's face falling as he yells something out. Sicheng doesn't hear what he has to say as a vehicle collides into his side, sending his body flying into the air, His head hits the pavement and the world fades to black.

•••

There were no sounds of heart monitors, no sounds of doctors rushing up and down the hallways, there was no sounds from the hospital. There was just pure silence. At least that's what Sicheng thought at first. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting as he had to adjust to the bright light coating him from the sun. Only once opening his eyes, was he able to hear the soft whispers which were surrounding him. His surroundings were foreign to him as he quickly moved to be seated on top of the large rock beneath him. Trees encircle where he is seated, the air which he breathes is so much clearer and almost gives him a lighter feeling as he breathes it in.

A small part in the back of his mind, ticks away as he cannot help but feel as though he has been here before. He jumps to the conclusion that he must be hallucinating due to the impact of the car, yet he doesn't feel pain anywhere in his body. Surely, he would considering the car was coming at a high speed and he came into contact with the ground with a harsh amount of force. Maybe he had been in a coma for several months, maybe for even a year so he has all healed up and is in the ripe condition for hallucinations to occur.

"You're confused," A voice suddenly speaks up, startling Sicheng as he had thought he was alone, not having seen another individual near him.

Turning his head to the side, he witnesses as a man dressed in a black suit, a top hat adorning his head which casts a shadow across the male's features. His steps are slow yet calculated as he approaches the rock, smirk evident in his voice. Sicheng feels a sharp pain in his head as he looks at the other before him. It felt as though something was trying to escape from his mind. As though some kind of information was pushing against a barrier. Whatever it was, it was causing him a hell of a headache.

"That's the mask I put on you," The strange male remarks as he stops in his steps only at arm's distance from Sicheng, slowly raising his hand with his palm facing outwards. "It's itching to be removed. My magic has become much stronger since I have inhabited an adult body. Children are weak and struggle to contain the entirety of my magic." He reaches out to touch the confused mortal yet pauses as the other flinches, moving backward as much as he can without falling off the rock. This just causes for a small chuckle to emit from the stranger's mouth. Without any warning, the stranger gently taps the centre of Sicheng's forehead, slowly pulling his hand away as he closes his fingers together. This action pulls a dark string of what seems to be a darkened blue smoke from Sicheng's head. Holding it in the open, the stranger mutters a few foreign words before flattening his palm once more. The smoke is sent back into the depths of the other's head causing for the mortal to fall backward off the rock as his body absorbs the impact.

Opening his eyes once more, the surroundings are crystal clear within his memory. Sicheng feels slightly winded as he raises himself onto his feet, the older male standing on the other side of the rock as he just waits for the mortal to awaken again.

"Y-Yuta?" Sicheng stutters his name.

"In the flesh," Yuta removes his top hat as he bows before the younger. The jewel beneath his eye flashes a shade of tea green as he holds eye contact with the mortal. His hair remains the dark black shade from the last time Sicheng saw him, yet it has been cut slightly shorter. It is still a little too long for Sicheng's liking but it's part of the older's character.

"You took away my memory of you," Sicheng frowns as he tries to process the idea in his mind. All his memories of this place keep flooding in. Over a year's worth of dreams from each night continue to play, one by one, in his mind as he stands before the dark haired male.

"That is correct. I see you grew up to be quite intelligent Sicheng," Yuta makes his way around the rock as he now stands just in front of the younger. "Your mother hurt you because of me. They sent her away, I had to make sure they wouldn't send you away as well. You see, people are not like minded and they don't believe in this place. They believe it is all part of some stupid story which a fool who used to live here wrote about and published. It was his way of conveying what happened to the world without them calling him crazy and sending him to the looney bin. No one is afraid of fiction; the reality always hurts more."

"Mother isn't crazy," Sicheng is completely bewildered by the entire situation. On one hand he feels quite pleased and excited to see his childhood friend again after all this time. Yet as he hears him explaining things, he can't help but feel slightly angered at him for taking away his mother.

"I was raised without a mother because of you?"

The jewel beneath Yuta's right eye flickers to be a light shade of red as the muscles in his jaw tense for a brief moment. "That was not my fault. Your mother and I were on sour terms at the time and she couldn't accept that you were getting along with me. She tried to kill me simply because she wanted me to stay away from you. Yet your loyalty to me shined that day when you stood before those shears. It hurt me to see you injured like that, so I won't lie to you, Sicheng. I whispered a little phrase into your mother's ear which caused her sanity to start it's long and steep decline. Out of all the mortal's I have ever seen, your mother was extremely good at distinguishing between here and the real world. She knew better than anyone that no one would understand. It took a little push to get her out of arm's reach from you. To make sure she wouldn't harm you again."

"I was picked on throughout the entirety of high school because my mother was a psycho, all of which could have been avoided had you not 'whispered a little phrase' into her ear. Do you know how much suffering you caused me?!" Sicheng starts to grow angrier as the time goes on, all good feelings for his childhood friend are quickly fading away.

"I see you inherited her fiery attitude," Is all Yuta says in response to the younger's outburst. "I can get her out of there you know. If that is what you really want, I'll do that for you."

This catches Sicheng in a moment of surprise as he wasn't prepared for the dark haired male to say this at all. "Would you really do it? Let her out?"

"Yes," The older sighs heavily before continuing. "It would take some time, but I could make it happen. You just need to understand that if I scratch your back, you'll have to scratch mine."

"If she returns home to my father safe and sound, I will be willing to do anything. She's been locked away for 15 years now," Sicheng sounds defeated as he speaks this phrase. "I don't earn too much at this time in my life, but I'll go into debt, just name your price."

Yuta can't hide the smirk from his features as he lowers his gaze briefly, jewel quickly becoming a darkened green. "Your currency does no good in this realm. Money is far from the act I would require you to perform. I trust you will be able to commit to these terms?"

"You haven't listed any terms," The younger picks up on this fact as Yuta just raises his gaze to meet with his once more.

"All you have to agree on is that you will complete whatever I ask of you."

The thoughts swim around his mind as Sicheng just holds the dark haired male's gaze. He wants to jump on the opportunity to take up this deal. His mother has been gone for so long, he is tired of only being able to see her each Friday, during the short visitation hours which the asylum has to offer. On top of this he knows how his dad has suffered without his wife. He had to raise Sicheng by himself, having to deal with his issues and having to comfort him whenever he went through his spells of wanting for his mother to come home. Yes, his sister would help but she moved out of home a year after their mother was admitted. This caused for Sicheng to become incredibly close with Jaehyun's mother. She became the mother figure during the most stressful years of his life.

He just wants his mother back.

Extending his hand, Sicheng waits for Yuta to shake on the agreement. However, the dark haired male just shakes his head causing for the younger to lower his hand in confusion.

"Swear an oath on your blood life."

"My blood life?"

"The usual oath is on your life magic however you are a mortal meaning you must swear on your blood life," Yuta explains with a slight sound of joy in his tone.

"Okay," Sicheng says as he exhales a large breath. "I swear on my blood life that I will complete whatever you ask of me."

"Good. I swear on my life magic that I'll spare your mother from the asylum," Yuta smirks mischievously as he places his hat on his head once more. "You should wake up now and visit your mother. Tell her of the news if you must, just be careful as she may not exactly like the news of me returning to your life."

The colours begin to bleed out of this world as Sicheng can feel his exit approaching. "Wait," he calls out softly. "How will I know what you require from me?"

"Trust me, you'll know," Is all Yuta says before tilting his had to cover his gaze, the world disappearing from Sicheng's mind once more.

•••

The beeping from the heart monitors echoed through the room as Sicheng slowly regained his consciousness. He needn't open his eyes to know he lays in a hospital bed, probably plugged into several different machines or drips, or both. One thing he knows for certain is the amount of pain he can feel in his body. More than anything, he could feel all the bruises on his body, the headache in his head was throbbing away, doing it's best to disrupt his thoughts.

"Sicheng?" He can hear Jaehyun's voice calling his name quietly.

He slowly opens his eyes, blinking several times as his eyes adjust to the light. Tilting his head to the side, he sees his peach haired friend seated on the edge of his seat by the bed side, a look of worry and concern written all over his features.

"Hey," He exclaims as he quickly moves his chair to be closer to the younger's bedside.

"How long have I been out for?" Sicheng emits a groan from his lips as he tries to shift his position, the pain shooting through his body.

"A few hours," Jaehyun speaks calmly. His concern only grows as he sees the pain covering his friend's face. He doesn't say anything before rushing out of his seat, running to the corridor where he calls down a nurse. She enters the room and asks Sicheng a few questions about how bad his pain is before administering some more pain relief. Once she has left once more, Sicheng notices Jaehyun is the only one in the room meaning his father and sister weren't there.

Jaehyun notices the sudden confusion on his features as he speaks up to explain. "Your dad was here earlier but he had to go and pick up your sister to bring her here. He should return shortly."

Sicheng nods slowly as he processes the information.

The pair are interrupted as the door to the room swings open, revealing a woman with long, dark brown hair which as been tied into a knot on the back of her neck. She gazes between Sicheng and Jaehyun before rushing over to the latter, wrapping her arms around him before briefly placing a kiss on his lips.

"I came as quick as I could," She exclaims as she pulls away from Jaehyun, moving to be beside Sicheng. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm really sore," The dark haired male responds, voice hoarse as he hasn't had a chance to have a drink of water since waking up.

"Hey Shu," Jaehyun tries to grab her attention as he steps forward, tugging on her sleeve. "Can you grab me a coffee please?" He asks, giving her a gaze, which suggests he wants some time alone with his friend.

"Sure," She smiles happily before exiting the room once more.

Shuhua had been dating Jaehyun ever since he asked her out in the final year of high school. They'd now been together for three years and they seemed to be quite happy. Sicheng struggled to be happy for the pair at first but he quickly grew to accept that she was going to stay in his friend's life for a while and if he wants to keep his friendship, he will have to accept her. It wasn't like she was rude or anything, she treated Jaehyun like a prince and was always so polite and kind to Sicheng. As a person he really liked her. I was just...Sicheng could only watch as the person he had liked for some time was blooming into a relationship with someone else.

"You're really stupid you know," Jaehyun remarks as he walks over to be seated once more. "Why the hell would you walk onto a road which you know is busy without even turning to glance at it?"

"To get out of class maybe?" Sicheng attempts to crack a joke yet it isn't received well as the older just frowns, the concern hasn't even started to fade as he just blankly stares at his friend. Without saying anything, he turns around to grab the plastic cup of water which he had taken for himself, yet he hadn't drunk from it yet. He extends it to Sicheng who happily takes it, doing his best to lean up to drink the entire cup.

"I thought you were dead," The peach haired male begins softly. "Hearing your head smack against the road like that...I thought I'd lost you forever."

"Jae," Sicheng frowns as he reaches out to take his friend's hand. "I'm okay. I'm sorry for worrying you so much but I am still here, and I don't plan to leave you anytime soon okay?"

The older nods slowly, a small smile slowly cracking into his features as he squeezes the younger's hand, more to reassure himself that his friend is actually okay.

The door flies open once more, Sicheng's dad and sister both run into the room, Shuhua right behind them with two cups of steaming coffee. Jaehyun pulls his hand away from his friend as he moves to be standing once more.

"My dear boy," Sicheng's father exclaims in a tone of relief as he notices his son is awake. He replaces where Jaehyun was just sitting as he takes his son's hand into his own.

"Why are you so stupid?" Sicheng's sister exclaims as she takes a seat on the end of the bed.

Jaehyun and Shuhua can't help but chuckle as they stand by each other at the end of the bed. Shuhua leans into her boyfriend's side. The peach haired male allows her to do so, doing his best to hide the frown which fights to crawl onto his features.

•••

"Your mother is going to be really worried," Sicheng's father states as he drives the car. "You know what that means."

Sicheng knows exactly what his dad is referring to. Whenever his mother gets anxious or worried, her bursts of insanity become more frequent. Her delusions take place, portraying Sicheng as the villain whom she must kill in order to protect him. There is no doubt in his mind that she will attack him at one stage during this visit. Especially knowing that her son was hit by a car the other day, especially after finding out that Yuta has returned to visit her son's dreams each night.

"They won't leave us alone will they?" Sicheng asks in regard to the staff of the asylum.

"It's not safe Sicheng. I know you don't like it when the staff loiter around but its necessary to keep you as safe as possible." His dad explains.

Sicheng just frowns as he turns to gaze out the window. It would be harder to talk to his mother truthfully with there being staff lingering around. It isn't long before the car pulls into the parking lot out the front of the "White Feather Psychiatric Institute." The parking lot is quite big considering there's never more than three cars parked there. Most of the staff live in an apartment block which is a few kilometres down the road for the institution. The institution itself consists of several buildings. The main one being the biggest and the one which holds the creepiest vibe. Sicheng can't help but shiver slightly each time he enters this place. It looks like an asylum which one would view in a horror film which makes him ponder if his mother is treated like the old patients were.

He walks alongside his father as they enter the building which seems to be quieter than usual. They both have to sign a few forms at reception before removing any items of value, including any which could be used as a weapon before being allowed to enter the space of visitation.

They also recently started to make sure the scars on his wrists were covered. A few weeks ago, his mother had an episode which was sparked by the memory of her 'protecting' her son on that dreaded day from 15 years ago.

There are a few people seated in this space, mainly consisting of patients who are hoping their loved ones will show up. There's this one lady who is always here, always convinced her daughter was going to visit with the grandson. Her daughter died 30 years ago in a car accident when she was 27 years old. Her daughter's son was only 2 when he followed his mother's footsteps of death in the accident. Sicheng only knows this from his mother who explained this woman's story to him during one of his visits.

Sicheng barely has time to register his mother's appearance as she runs over to him, immediately wrapping her arms around her son. His father just smiles softly before she pulls away, moving to hug her husband as well.

"How are you? Are you sore? Injured?" She begins to flood her son with questions.

"I'm fine, mother. How are you faring?" He asks in return, a soft smile spreading across his features at the sight of his mother being so calm. Her senses seem to be heightened slightly but wouldn't any normal mother have the same reaction after seeing her son for the first time after he had been into an accident.

"I'm very well, I've just been eager to see you again after hearing what happened," She exclaims as she moves to stand before the two. "We should go outside, to the garden."

Just as we move to approach the doors which lead to the garden, a nurse approaches us alongside a tall doctor with darkened hair. She smiles at us as she clings tightly onto a clipboard which she holds against her chest. Sicheng doesn't like the way she is smiling, there's nothing real behind it and it just seems as though she wants them to go home so she can just go on her lunch break already.

"Hello Mr Dong, how are you?" The doctor breaks the brief moment of silence as he extends his hand to the younger's father.

"I'm well, yourself?" Sicheng's dad responds with a tight smile.

The doctor only comes to speak with them when something is either wrong or needs to be changed regarding Mrs Dong's treatment. Seeing the doctor's arrival never strikes any chords of joy in anyone. Sicheng remembers watching on as the doctor told a family that the person they'd arrived to visit had passed away due to not being able to withstand the electrical current from the shock therapy. The image of what seemed to be the patient's daughter breaking down in her father's arms remains vivid in Sicheng's memory. He'd never seen someone in so much pain like that before.

"We would like to discuss Mrs Dong's treatments," The doctor says softly. He ushers for the nurse to go towards the patient and she happily obliges.

"Why don't we go wait in the garden whilst the doctor speaks with your family, hmmm?" Her voice is over the top cheery and it irritates Sicheng. His mother seems to be vaguely confused but she leaves all the same.

Once she is out of sight, Sicheng's father immediately takes a defensive stance as he folds his arms across his chest, making eye contact with the doctor. "You can't increase her drug intake again. She'll gain an addiction and will have to be carted from here to rehab."

"We'll deal with addictions here as well but that is not what I wanted to say," the doctor clear his throat before adjusting his glasses. "I want to start electroconvulsive therapy, more commonly known as electric shock therapy."

"What?!" Sicheng cries in a sudden burst of outrage. "There is no way in hell that you will electrocute my mother."

"You need to explain yourself sir, and you must do so before I take my wife out of your facilities and enrol her into a different hospital." His father states harshly.

"Your wife has started to talk about Petulantia again," The doctor hushes his tone as he says this, in a way which suggests he doesn't want the others This seems to set something off within Sicheng's father as the older's stance softens slightly. He uncrosses his arms before turning to face his son.

"Maybe you should go and spend some time with your mother while I deal with the doctor."

Sicheng can't believe his father is sending him away. He couldn't possibly be considering signing the forms which allows the doctor to electrocute her. The image of the girl hearing about the loss of her mother plays in his mind. He doesn't want to get a first hand experience of something like that.

Feeling as though he will only grow angrier if he stays, Sicheng takes the cue and makes his way through the large doors and into the garden. The door opens onto a long, raised wooden platform which goes on for a few hundred metres. The path leads to the isolation building which is filled with all of the patients with violent tendencies. Sicheng has never ventured further than a few metres as he needn't go any further to reach the small bench which his mother always sits at. She took to this position on her first day here. The white rose bush which was flourishing on either side of the bench provided her with a kind of peace, she'd told him.

Arriving at this location now, Sicheng feels his anger beginning to fade as he sees his mother seated on the bench, gazing at the roses. The nurse notices his appearance and just stretches out her smile. He doesn't bother returning the expression as he makes his way over to sit beside his mother.

She seems to be slightly startled as she jumps in her seat, but her expression quickly fades into a smile as she turns to fully take in the sight of her beautiful sight. She extends her hand to squeeze his cheek lovingly before lowering it onto her lap once more.

"The accident didn't ruin your face, you're lucky," She jokes quietly.

He chuckles softly but pauses as he notices the nurse watching them. Every time he comes here, there is always a nurse who will stand over them. They are never able to obtain even a few seconds of time to just the two of them. With the accident having occurred only two days ago, his father must have put the staff on extra notice to make sure they wouldn't leave Sicheng alone with his mother.

"Don't worry about her," His mother leans forward as she takes his hands in her own.

"There's something I need to tell you and I can't do so while she's listening," He whispers across to her. The nurse can hear all of this as she takes a step closer to the pair.

"I've been told that today out of all days, it's really important I remain here," She sighs softly before turning her head to see if there are any other staff loitering around. "I have a call that I need to take, I'm going to do that quickly because let's be honest, no one here wants me to be here also so as long as you don't say anything, I won't."

Sicheng and his mother simply nod as the nurse turns to walk down the wooden path.

"What do you need to tell me my dear son?" His mother draws her undivided attention to him as she just squeezes his hands reassuringly.

"Yuta has come back to my dreams," Sicheng starts to explain quietly.

"Sicheng, I told you 15 years ago that you need to leave him and yet you still ignore me?" His mother lets go of her son's hands as her posture stiffens slightly. "There is nothing good about him."

"He left for 15 years mother and I forgot all memories of him. I didn't even remember having those dreams about him until I was hit by that car the other day," Sicheng tries to explain himself. "Somehow he wiped my memories clean, up until he was ready for me to remember again."

"He is extremely manipulative, whatever you do you cannot trust him." She almost sounds angry just at the mentioning of the other's name. "Damaged people are dangerous, Sicheng."

"And why is that?" The dark haired male couldn't help but ask.

"Because they know how to make hell feel like home...And that's what Yuta will do to you."

Nothing is said for several moments as the pair just sit in silence, neither knowing what to say. Sicheng has many questions he would love to ask his mother, yet he doesn't know how to word them. So many pressing questions, yet he also must protect himself. Too much talk of this and his mother will have another episode.

Times like these, more than anything he wishes she wasn't crazy. And now he especially feels a growing urge of anger regarding Yuta, having recently discovered it was his fault she ended up here.

"What did he say to you?" His mother speaks up again.

"He told me it was his fault that you're here," Sicheng slowly raises his gaze to meet with his mother's. "He told me he would get you out of here if I swore on my blood life that I would do whatever he would ask for in return."

"Please don't tell me you made you agreed," the tone in her voice is so bitter, it almost makes him want to lie about what he did. However, it's too late to turn to lies now. He doesn't even get a chance to defend himself as his silence seems to speak for him.

"I thought I raised you better than this," She starts to lecture him, yet he interrupts her, the anger which had been building up within his over the past hour was finally spilling over the top.

"Raised me? You were only there for what? Seven years?! I would barely call that raising me, it was dad who was there throughout my teenage years. It was dad who got me through all of the torment and stress in high school. Jaehyun's mother was there for me more often than you were so please, do not start the whole 'I thought I raised you better thing,' because you didn't."

Mrs Dong just stares at her son, mouth agape. She is shocked to say the least as to what she has heard. Her son has never spoken such harsh words to her before.

"Yuta and I have a very long and sour past. I don't want for you to experience his tricks or make the same mistakes as I did. I only want what's best for you," She frowns as she reaches out to take her son's hands once more.

A soft buzzing sound can be heard as something brushes past his ear. He instantly leans away from it, turning to see a large moth flying around. It has dark blue wings with black rims. It is identical to the one that he saw that day his mother slashed his wrists. His heart drops as he turns to look at his mother whose expression has faded completely, attention solely on the moth. He rapidly looks around, hoping the nurse has returned yet she still is nowhere to be seen. 

"It's just a moth, mother," Sicheng tries to get to her but he knows he is too late.

"I will kill you," She snarls as she stands from the bench, rushing to grab at the blue winged moth which flutters around. "I told you to stay away from my son!" She raises her voice with each scream.

Sicheng rushes from his seat as he tries to grab her arms and calm her down from the episode which she is already deep into. "Mother stop! It's just a bug!" However, she continues to thrash against him, screaming at the top of her lungs.

He barely has time to process it as the doctor and his father run out to their location. His father pulls his away whilst the doctor pulls a syringe from his pocket. Sicheng thrashes against his dad, hoping he will be able to stop the doctor from administrating the medication, yet he is unable to break free, the syringe already piercing his mother's skin. Once the syringe is removed, the doctor is forced to step forward as he catches Mrs Dong's now limp body. He calls out to the other staff who hurry over in order to take her unconscious body away. The nurse from earlier still hasn't returned even after all the ruckus. The doctor just smiles as he pats Sicheng's shoulder, leaving one final remark as he walks away.

"Thank you for the visit, her new treatment will commence by the end of the night."


	3. two.

"You know how she acts around you," Sicheng exasperates. "Why do you keep coming back when you know it will just make her seem worse? They're going to electrocute her brain."

The dark haired male with longer hair just smiles softly at the younger who seems to be quite angry and annoyed with him. He just tilts his hat forwards, hoping the shadow from the brim will hide his jewel which flashes a shade of dark green.

"I don't think you quite understand, dear Sicheng," Yuta remarks. "The only way I can help her is if I push my limits to figure out how long I may stay in your mortal realm."

"Why don't you just use your magic from here? You seem to already be quite good at that," Sicheng just grows more and more angered as he speaks to his dream friend.

Yuta raises a brow as he moves to be seated on the rock which the younger is leaning against. "What's stopping me from making you complete your side of the deal first? Considering what I need from you is much more important than freeing your mortal mother."

"What would a magical person like you need from a mortal like me?" Sicheng seems to be slightly confused by this sudden statement.

"That is for you to find out on a later date," The dark haired male responds. He raises his hand which in turn, seems to silence the whispers from the wind. The pair had been so focused on their little argument that it was only when the wind threatened to tip Yuta's hat, he realised its consistent chatter.

The younger, visibly agitated, exhales a sharp breath before moving to be crouched in the patch of grass as he rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands. He is so tired of the older's games. Yuta never simply reveals the truth and will only ever speak through a riddle or continue to push away at these claims, stating its to be known at a later point in time.

"You needn't grow so annoyed with me, I have my own ways of completing a task, but I always get the task done," Yuta speaks up, breaking the silence which had started to form amongst them. Sicheng doesn't seem too pleased with this statement as he stands once more, attempting to make eye contact with the older whose gaze is still hidden by the shadow from the brim of his hat. He opens his mouth to retaliate yet finds himself having an inability to speak as tears begin to fall from his eyes. He covers his mouth with the palm of his hand as he just breaks down before his childhood friend.

Yuta instantly springs into action, stepping away from the rock, he swiftly strides over to the younger, opting for silence as he pulls him into his own embrace. The jewel beneath his eye changing to a shade of soft purple. It pains him to see his fond friend hurting like this.

"She could die," Sicheng sobs as he clings onto Yuta's jacket. "I could lose her."

"But you won't" Yuta is quick to speak up. "I promise you that your mother will not die. Believe me, as much as she seems to hate me, I still care for her enough that I would not allow for those doctors to fry her brains until they turn to mush."

Hearing this, Sicheng pauses for a moment, he tries to take a deep breath before stating, "Swear on your life magic. Swear to me that you won't let my mother die."

Scoffing quietly, Yuta pulls away from the younger, removing his hat as he gives the younger the ability to see his entire self before him. "You're a clever little boy. You got that attitude from your mother. I know it, I remember when she used to say or even use similar phrases against me." Noticing the younger means what he has said, the dark haired male can't help but taking a quick and shallow breath before speaking again.

"Fine. I vow on my life magic that I won't allow for your mother to die at the hands of those doctors."

Sicheng should feel relieved to hear this, yet he feels the opposite. Something about the tone in the older's voice makes his grow sceptical as to whether he will abide by his word or not. "You must get her out as well. Out and alive." He wipes at his tears, dampening his sleeves in the process.

"I've already sworn an oath to do so or have you forgotten?" The tone is Yuta's voice just seems to sound annoyed and slightly irritated as he speaks now. The jewel beneath his eye, slowly changing to a shade of red.

Sicheng almost emits a sigh of relief as he notices all the colours beginning to fade from this place. He is waking up which he is more than happy about as he has never seen his dream friend growing angry before. He'd prefer to keep that side of him in the unknown.

"Rest well little dove," Yuta remarks as he sighs loudly. "You must gain your strength. You'll need all which you can muster for what is to come." Placing his hat atop his head once more, the older just smirks before his colour peels away.

•••

Sicheng woke to the sound of knocking at his door. The sound was loud and unwanted at this time of morning. Groaning into his pillow, the male rolls over in his bed as he swings his legs over the side until they meet the cold surface of the floor. Checking the time on his phone, he can't help but feel surprised as he notices the numbers reading, 9:15am. Standing out of the bed, he pulls a hand through his hair before making his way to answer the door. He doesn't bother to check who it is before unlocking and pulling open the heavy door.

"Morning--You've been crying. Bad dream?" Jaehyun queries as soon as he is able to clearly see his friend standing before him.

"Hmmm?" Sicheng hums in response as he scratches the back of his neck, working to try and remember what had happened in his dream. That's when his argument with Yuta comes flying back to him, including his small breakdown regarding his mother. "Oh, well yeah. You could say it was a bad dream."

Jaehyun nods slowly as the younger steps aside, allowing for the peach haired male to enter. Closing the door once more, Sicheng follows his friend into the lounge room where they both take a seat on the couch.

"Shouldn't you be at class right now?" The dark haired asks quietly.

He has this week off from classes due to the accident from the other day. His body remains battered and bruised but it is no where near as bad as it was before. He can walk normally and do everything normally whilst only feeling a small amount of pain. The doctor gave him a medical certificate which excused him from work and classes for the entire week.

"Class for today was cancelled. The professor is sick," The peach haired male responds softly. "I was thinking we could go grab a coffee or something. It's weird not seeing you each morning."

Sicheng chuckles softly to himself as he hears this coming from his friend. The older has never dealt well when they've had to go on extended periods of time where they couldn't see each other. He always reminded the younger of a clingy partner. He always treasured the time he was able to spend with those he cares about, meaning when that time was diminished, he would find himself feeling a little lost.

"I mean, I have nothing else to do. You'll have to wait for me to get ready though, unless you want to go out with me looking like this," Sicheng gestures to his bed hair and grins softly. Jaehyun laughs beneath his breath before reaching out with his hand to rough up his friend's hair.

Sicheng doesn't linger a moment longer before escaping to his room. Once in here he is quick to get dressed into a simple outfit which consists of ripped, black skinny jeans with a loose white and black striped shirt. He heads into the bathroom and runs the cold water from the tap, commencing his typical morning routine just at a slightly faster pace than usual. After applying gel to his hair and making it look somewhat normal, the dark haired male heads back into the living room where his friend waits patiently.

They make their way to the door, Sicheng slipping into a pair of sneakers before they leave the apartment, closing and locking the door behind them. Sicheng is sure to keep an eye on the roads before crossing them, his older friend subtly places his hand on the younger's lower back as he assists him in crossing before the oncoming traffic.

It doesn't take long for the pair to reach their desired destination as they approach the Seoul Bean Café. They were quick to become regulars here once moving to this area for schooling. They are both acquainted with all the staff here and even go as far as having the numbers of a few of them.

"Jaehyun and Sicheng," A girl with blonde hair which sits just above her shoulders calls out as they walk in the doors of the venue. "Your usual spot is free; I'm assuming you'll take your usual orders?"

"Yes, thank you Yeeun." Sicheng grins as he moves to walk past the counter, heading straight toward the booth at the rear of the shop which him and his friend always sit at. The peach haired male doesn't follow straight away as he pays for their drinks first. The younger frowns slightly as he sees this, he didn't mean for his friend to pay the entire expenses for the outing. However, Jaehyun doesn't seem to mind at all as he makes his way to take his seat opposite Sicheng.

"Penny for your thoughts," Jaehyun queries with a slight smirk as he grabs the small stand on the table which displays the number, starting to fiddle with the object.

"I'm just thinking of how I will get you back for paying for this. I was expecting to go Dutch, Jae." The dark haired male exclaims, a hint of annoyance in his tone as he speaks.

Chuckling softly, Jaehyun just remains quiet as he watches his friend sulking. He dragged the younger out of bed so of course he was going to pay for it. It wouldn't have been fair on him if he hadn't.

The pair are quick to fall into the depths of small talk as they begin to discuss anything from the complexities of English essays to sharing funny stories and memories. The time seems to pass quite quickly, they both ended up ordering a second round of beverages. It was at this point that Sicheng decided he wanted to test the waters with a different topic.

"Hey Jae," He bids for the peach haired male's attention quietly.

"Yeah?" The older responds with a raised brow as he takes a sip from his iced americano.

"Do you remember me telling you about my dream friend when we were kids?"

The older scoffs as he hears this, a smile spreading across his features. "How could I forget your first imaginary friend? You never forget the first one."

Sicheng tries to bite back on his disappointment as he hears this, his friend is bound to not believe him if he has already reacted to the mentioning of Yuta in this way.

"He would return to my dreams each night and proceed to teach me the ways of his world, the ways of Petulantia. He even taught e a few self-defences and fighting skills which I was quick to forget due to my young age."

"You know I never gave your mind much credit, but your imagination was wild," Jaehyun remarks. "My imaginary friends were never planned out in that much detail. They only ever contained the basics which you would expect."

Sicheng shakes his head softly, "Did you notice that after mother was admitted to the asylum, Yuta's visits stopped, and I never spoke a word of him again?"

Jaehyun doesn't respond straight away as he seems to be trying to recall these minor details from his childhood. He can't seem to be able to recall any significant instances which would in turn agree with what his friend is saying.

"Would you hate me if I said no?"

Sicheng chuckles lowly as he rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands before continuing.

"He came back after I got hit by that car. Yuta returned to my dreams and revealed to me that he is the reason as to why my mother is in the asylum. I was vulnerable at the time and swore an oath on my blood life to him. He will free my mother as long as I do whatever he asks of me."

"Blood life? I saw that in a book of some sort once, the protagonist broke said oath and she lost her blood life. In other words, she bled out until she was dry and clear of any blood." Jaehyun grimaces slightly at the thought.

The younger pauses for a moment as he processes this. Surely that is not what he swore away when he made that oath to Yuta. Jaehyun is speaking of a novel, a fictional work which is written with the one purpose which is to make money. Yuta wouldn't allow for him to so easily swear to something like that without having a full understanding of what it means. Then again, his mother seemed to be quite alarmed when she found out. Sicheng shudders as these thoughts race through his mind. He opts to ignore it as he continues his talk.

"I cried in my sleep last night because I cried during my visit to see Yuta. We had a bit of a disagreement as he made an appearance before my mother at the asylum the other day in the form of a moth and now the doctor's want to start electric shock therapy. I made him swear another oath on his life magic that he wouldn't let her die."

"Losing your mother to an asylum at such a young age is really traumatising," Jaehyun states slowly.

"What?" Sicheng can't help but sound confused as his friend begins to speak. The peach haired male extends his hand across the table as he grabs his friend's hand in his own, squeezing it comfortingly.

"I've heard many stories of children's minds creating false realities in order to fill the blanks where they should've been with their loved ones who were taken away from them. Their minds do what they can to avoid the child from falling into depths of despair and I can't help but feel as though that is simply what happened to you, Sicheng. It's only natural that it came back again after your accident, your mind was again trying to protect you from the stresses of the situation."

Sicheng roughly pulls his hand away as he stares at the older in disgust.

"You don't believe me."

"Of course, I do. I just don't want to bear witness as you look into these made up scenarios so much that you lose your sanity."

"Out of all people, you were the last one who I was expecting to react so poorly," Sicheng sounds quite hurt. "I shouldn't have told you."

The younger abruptly stands from the table, moving to leave but he pauses as he sees a girl standing before him. He quickly recognises her to be Shuhua. She looks between him and her boyfriend, a confused expression adorning her features.

"Everything okay?" She asks them both.

"Your boyfriend is free for the afternoon, I've got to go," Sicheng remarks bitterly before storming past her and out of the café.

Shuhua watches him leave as she walks to be standing beside her boyfriend. She squeezes his shoulders before pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "You guys have a fight?"

"I should go after him and see if he's okay," Jaehyun brushes off her touch as he stands from the table himself. "Let us do this date thing another time."

"Wait," Shuhua grabs his arm, pulling him to a stop as he turns to face her. "Can we talk, please? I promise I'll let you go soon it's just...we really need to talk."

Jaehyun nods stiffly as he moves to be seated where Sicheng was, his girlfriend taking his old spot.

"Do you remember prom?" She asks softly, a small smile appearing on her features.

"Of course, I do," The peach haired male responds as he finds himself grinning at the memory. That night was absolute bliss for not only them but for Sicheng and most of the students from their year. It was one of the first proper outings that Jaehyun had with Shuhua. It was also the first night they kissed.

"We were so happy back in school. Even after it was all over, there was that period of time where it felt as though the world had stopped turning and it was just us that mattered." Shuhua exclaims, her voice quiet.

Jaehyun immediately recognises where this conversation is going as he hears the change in her tone. He has seen enough movies and has even imagined this moment himself a few times, quite recently actually.

"What happened to those happy people, Jae?"

"It's only natural for people to drift apart, Shu," Is all Jaehyun can bring himself to say in response to her question. He can read the look of pain and desperation in her expression as she tries to fathom what would be the right move.

Shuhua was quick to fall in love with the older male, seated across from her, after they started to date back in high school. However, Jaehyun was soon to lose the presence of any feelings of love. The only thing which had been keeping him in this relationship for the past few years was the simple emotion of lust. It was becoming clear to Shuhua that she may be the only one who is investing in the relationship. It wasn't a nice feeling. Not in the slightest.

Tears begin to form as her eyes become glassy. Jaehyun reaches across the table as he gently covers her hand with his own. Comfortingly, he traces small circles on the side of her hand as she just watches the movement.

"I'm sorry, Shu," He mutters. "I should've let go long ago."

"You should go after Sicheng," Taking a shaky breath, the younger pulls her hand back to herself as she pulls down her sleeve. Her body begins to tremble slightly as she fights back the sobs which are tearing at her throat.

"I can't leave you like this. I'm not a dick," Jaehyun exclaims as he awkwardly scratches the back of his neck.

"Really? So, a gentleman would've held onto his girlfriend for three years even though he only loved her for what? A month? Two maybe?" Resentment comes through her tone in thick doses as she continues to speak.

"Don't do that Shu. It wasn't like that," The peach haired male sighs, starting to sound slightly annoyed and frustrated himself.

"Be a gentleman for a final time, Jaehyun, and just leave," She states harshly. "That is the last thing I will ask of you."

Sighing, defeated, Jaehyun stands from the table and turns on his heel as he exits the café. This leaves Shuhua behind as she begins to sob into the sleeve of her sweater, watching her ex leave with the pieces of her heart attached to the soles of his feet.

•••

The anger was boiling through the hot blood which coursed through Sicheng's veins by the time he reached the entry to his apartment. How could he be so stupid?! Of course, Jaehyun wouldn't believe him. He was crazy to even hope for a split second that he would. His friend had always been one to pick at flaws in situations, always choosing to take whichever route made the most logical sense.

Yet, Sicheng had still hoped that his friend would be willing to talk about it more and not just shut it down constantly like that. Shuhua's timing was beyond poor today. Usually, the dark haired male holds no grudge toward the girl, but today he just felt as though he were angry with the world.

Needing to wash his face to try and cool down, Sicheng makes his way to the bathroom after kicking off his shoes at the front door. He pays no attention the fact that the door hasn't snipped shut all the way.

He turns on the tap and runs the cold water, basically doing a repeat of his morning routine. Cupping his hands, he catches the cool liquid in his hands before splashing it over his face. He hears a small sound which almost sounds as though someone were talking to him. Shrugging it off, he continues to cool himself down. However, this voice seems to be insistent as it continues.

"Giving me the silent treatment, are we?" The smirk is evident in this familiar voice's tone.

Sicheng turns off the tap and pats dry his face with the towel before looking behind him to see if someone is standing in the doorway to the bathroom, however there is no one there.

"In front of you," The voice states firmly.

Sicheng gazes at the mirror and nearly feels his heart stop as he notices the silhouette which is in the reflection. It seems to be the shadow of Yuta's figure, but that wouldn't make sense. He isn't in this realm.

"Don't let it confuse your brain too much, little dove," Yuta chuckles. "I've been working to achieve something similar to this for quite some time now."

"What do you want from me?" Sicheng takes a few steps backward as he can't help but fear the talking silhouette.

"I'm calling upon my side of the deal, I've decided," the silhouette explains softly. The arms in the shadow seem to move as the younger imagines the older moving his arms to be folded across his chest.

"Now you'll tell me what that is?" Sicheng dares to ask but with no surprise, Yuta doesn't answer him in the way which he would've hoped.

"You'll have to come and find me first," Is all he says before extending his arm through the reflective surface of the mirror.

Through the mirror.

The younger can't help but stare in confusion as he notices Yuta's arm from beneath his elbow hanging out of the window, reaching for his own hand. Sicheng doesn't take it as he just stares at it in shock.

"We don't have all day, dear," Yuta sighs.

This gives Sicheng enough incentive as he takes his dream friend's hand. The breath is sucked from his lungs in an instant as the other roughly pulls on his arm, pulling him into the mirror. He expects it to shatter, yet the complete opposite happens as he falls through the puddle like surface.

•••

Jaehyun was surprised to say the least when he saw the door to Sicheng's apartment was open. It didn't worry him at first. There had been several instances prior to this where the younger had done this.

"Sicheng?" The peach haired male calls the name of his friend as he enters the apartment.

He notices the younger's shoes by the door. He kicks off his own before walking deeper into the apartment. He can hear the sound of murmurs emitting from what seems to be the bathroom as he walks further inside.

The peach haired male makes his way to the bathroom, stepping inside just in time to see his friend vanishing into the reflective surface. Confusion floods his expression as he witnesses this. The ripple effect which takes place on the glass is no where near how the reality of objects like this should work.

Yet, he can't explain it as he almost feels someone tugging him to follow the younger through the mirror. He doesn't fight it as he moves forward, stepping through the mirror just as Sicheng did.


	4. three.

Silence.

The simple absence of sound was all that could be heard as Sicheng slowly gained consciousness. There was a cold and firm surface pressed against his face as he felt himself lying on the floor. Without opening his eyes, he could tell it was some kind of wooden floorboards which he rested on. He doesn't remember how he arrived here. After stepping through the mirror, after taking Yuta's hand, he just blacked out.

Stepping through a mirror.

Maybe Sicheng is inheriting his mother's insanity. Stepping through mirrors is something she spoke of once, during her son's visit to the asylum. She was very fond of this tale. It included a storyline where she entered Fool's Paradise for the first time after she was pulled through the reflective surface by whom she assumed to be Yuta, himself. Of course, Sicheng doesn't know what he thinks of this tale. His mind is unable to grasp the concept that Yuta was a grown man when he dealt with his mother, yet he grew up alongside Sicheng. The timelines don't match.

Either way, there is no denying that Sicheng has winded up in a foreign environment. He decides to slowly crack open his eyes as he sneaks a peak at the new surroundings. Yuta is probably waiting for him, this could be another part of his tricks. Something which he is teaching the younger, he was always fond of throwing the mortal into a lesson without explaining it first.

The first thing which comes to Sicheng's vision is the wooden leg to a table. He follows the length of the wood to gaze at circle shaped, glass surface which sits on top, supported by the four wooden legs. The wood is the same brown as the wooden floorboards which it sits on. To his left, there are two doors. One remains the size of what seems to be about 15 inches tall, the one beside it being the ordinary size which would allow for most humans to walk through. Above him there is a crystal light fixture which contains many branches, all filled with the most beautiful gem stones of lights.

He gently pushes himself off the floor so he is now in a seated position. It is only now that he notices there is something on the other side of the table. Wait...Not something, someone. There is a body sprawled out on the floor in an unconscious heap. Recognition doesn't come immediately to the confused, dark haired male as he manages to push himself onto his feat. Yet, the moment he catches a glimpse of the familiar peach coup purée hair, the recognition is instant. The wave of panic which follows is sudden yet strong.

"Jaehyun?!" He mutters in disbelief as he rushes over to his friend. He crouches by the older's side, gently turning him so he is lying on his back. His eyes are closed whilst his mouth is open to form a small crack where he breathes. Sicheng looks at the older in pure shock as the sudden realisation hits him. His friend must have followed him through the mirror, but he was meant to be out with Shuhua...What happened?

All of the many questions which begin to flood his mind are brought to a sudden halt as the male beneath him sudden lets out a gasp, his eyes snapping open immediately. Jaehyun breathes heavily as he hastily moves to be in a seated position. Sicheng tenderly places a hand on his soldier as the pair's eyes meet for the first time in this strange location.

"Sicheng?" Jaehyun calls his name softly. "Where the hell are we?"

"I'm not quite sure, but I'm thinking we are very much in Petulantia," The younger states in a quiet tone as he just holds the older's worried gaze. "What I want to know is how you got here, you were out with Shuhua." This probably isn't the best time for the dark haired male to be raising this topic, but they don't seem to be on a deadline for anything and now is as good of a time as any other.

The peach haired male breaks eye contact at the mentioning of his recently ex-girlfriend. "Shu and I broke up," He admits faintly. Before Sicheng has a chance to express his mixed emotions about the revelation, the older continues to explain as to how he arrived here. "I travelled to your apartment to apologise for the way I acted at the cafe, and to see if you were okay. It was really weird, I saw you walking through your mirror. It was...Glowing."

"So like any sane person you followed me?" Sicheng interrupts him.

"I mean, yeah?" Jaehyun chuckles lightly.

Sicheng doesn't know what to say as he pulls his hand away from his friend before standing on his feet once more. He pulls both of his hands through his hair roughly as he takes a few paces backwards. Jaehyun doesn't hesitate in moving to be standing opposite his friend.

"Do you still think I just created a mythical realm and a mythical friend in my mind? To cope with my trauma?" The dark haired male asks, ironically.

"I'm not sure what's happening, Sicheng. I'm not even sure of the fact that we just walked through a mirror in your apartment. I don't know where we are but I can't say that I'm jumping straight to the assumption that we are in some kind of magical realm," Jaehyun exasperates in a tone which suggests he is quite confused.

The younger finds himself at a loss for words as he hears his friends testimony. What is it going to take to convince him of the fact that Yuta and Petulantia are real? He can only hope it won't take the literal use of magic against the pair of them for the severe reality of this place to embed itself into Jaehyun's thick skull.

Sicheng's gaze slowly travels to the surface of the glass table. On top of the surface there seems to be a small bottle which is beside a small box. Beside both of these objects is a large key with a delicate carving of a heart at the end of it. The bottle and the box both seem to have small labels attached. Curiosity from within the younger, peaks as he reaches to grab the small bottle of liquid first. The tag simply reads, Drink Me. Placing it down once more, he reaches for the box whose tag reads, Eat Me. Opening the lid, he is somewhat surprised to see a small piece of what seems to be some kind of vanilla cake.

"It's probably poisoned," Jaehyun remarks bluntly as he approaches the younger's side. He picks up the bottle and unscrews the cap before placing the object to his nose where he breathes in its scent. He raises his brows at the surprisingly pleasant smell of the beverage. "If I've learned anything from the many movies in this world, random food and drinks are always poisoned."

"Not always," Sicheng murmurs as he picks up the cake, tearing it into two pieces. One for him and one for his companion. "Did you ever watch Alice In Wonderland?"

"Of course, I also read the novel," The peach haired male perks up as he states this. "Are you telling me we are guest starring in a Wonderland of our own?"

"Yuta did compare Petulantia to Wonderland a lot when we first met," The younger says more to himself than anyone else. "I can't recall whether the cake made you grow or shrink."

"Hmmm?" Jaehyun raises a brow in suspicion as he watches his friend seriously considering whether he should take a bite from the cake which is sitting between his fingers. "You aren't going to actually eat that, are you?" He knocks the younger's hand, causing for him to drop the cake which somehow manages to land in the opened box which is still seated on the table.

The dark haired male glares at his friend who escapes the look as he turns to face the two doors. The peach haired male grabs the key from the table, the metal cool in his hands as he walks over to the life sized door. He places the key into the lock and turns it, smirking to himself as he hears the lock clicking, signifying the fact that it has unlocked. He turns his head to smile at Sicheng as he turns the handle, pulling open the door.

"Well done, genius," Sicheng scoffs as he points the door which has opened to a wall of bricks. It's a trick door.

Jaehyun frowns as he sees this. "I don't understand," He ponders as he backs away from the door. The younger sighs irritably as he walks up to him, pulling the key out of the door, he moves to be crouched before the smaller door. Without hesitation, he places the key in the lock and twists it open. Nudging the small handle with the mere tip of his finger, he is able to pull open the small door to reveal how it opens to an exterior of some sort. Sicheng tilts his head as he places one eye to the opening. The sight of what seems to be a sun filled, area containing insanely sized flowers, bring him to the instant conclusion that this is indeed Petulantia. The door leads to the Malicious Enclave or as Yuta tends to refer to it, the cluster of babble. Here the flowers would tend to discuss any topic which scented the wind or by passers. They were horrible at keeping secrets and worked hard to capture and maim anyone who was passing who wasn't meant to be there. They served the King. They had also taken lodgings conveniently outside the one entrance to Petulantia.

"We have to shrink and go through that door," Sicheng exclaims as he stands once more, leaving the tiny door open wide.

"Is it 'eat me' or 'drink me' to do so?" Jaehyun questions as he looks at both of the items on the table. He reaches for the drink, he faintly remembers the liquid to be the item which shrunk Alice in the novels. Yet, he couldn't remember for certain. "I'll drink this and you can toss me a bit of cake, worst case scenario."

Before Sicheng can object, along with throwing in the reminder of how Alice shrunk out of her clothes in the movie, the peach haired male takes a swig of the small bottle, swallowing at least half of it.

They stand in silence as they wait for the liquid to kick in. Jaehyun places the bottle back onto the table and gazes at his hands as though that would initiate the magic. He begins to laugh softly beneath his breath as nothing happens. This causes for Sicheng to just look at him in confusion as he can't understand where the sudden outburst of humour has come from.

"You're starting to turn me insane. I can't believe I nearly fell for these stupid magic tricks," The peach haired male drawls.

The events of the next second happen too quick for either of them to be able to fully process. In the blink of an eye, Jaehyun disappears from Sicheng's sight. The younger feels a sudden feeling of fear as he loses sight of his friend. That's when he feels a slight pinch on his ankle. Looking down, he lets out a small shriek at the sight of his friend who appears to be 10 inches tall.

"Oh my god," The dark haired male cups a hand over his mouth in shock as he crouched in front of his tiny friend. The peach haired male's scowl is clearly visible upon his tiny features as he seems to be waiting for the younger to follow his steps in drinking the liquid. What surprises Sicheng the most is the fact that Jaehyun seems to be in the same clothes he had on prior to the shrinking. The magic here must be different than the film.

Wasting no more time, Sicheng stands and reaches for the bottle. He downs the rest of the liquid and places the bottle down for the final time before waiting for the magic to take affect. Just like the older, the change happens within the blink of an eye. Before he can even draw in a breath, Sicheng finds himself at the same tiny height as his closest friend.

"What the hell is going on?" Jaehyun seems to be quite distressed as he approaches the dark haired male who has now become the same height as himself.

"Believe me yet?" Is all Sicheng voices before making his way over to the wide open door before them both. He doesn't hesitate in stepping over the threshold and into the new, yet familiar environment. The peach haired male is quick to jog a few steps as he catches up to him. Once the pair have both set foot onto the soil of this realm, the door slams closed, getting rid of any means for returning.

Being the small size of ten inches, means the flowers all tower above the two mortals. Each gigantic tulip may not contain eyes, but they have adorn a mouth which when opened, provides a gory visual as to their razor bladed teeth. They all seem to turn their 'heads' to gaze upon the newcomers as they all whisper to each other as to whether these strangers should be present or not.

Jaehyun can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of fear as he steps closer to Sicheng's side. He attempts to hide the fact that his hands are indeed trembling with apprehension as to where he has ended up.

"They certainly smell of the streets," A high pitched voice exasperates. "I can practically smell the pollution." The red tulip which is acknowledging this uses its long leaf to act as a cover over its mouth, to try and muffle its words which are passed to the yellow tulip beside it.

Sicheng doesn't say anything as he just walks down the clear pathway which has been payed out in the centre of all these flowers. He doesn't know where to go but he feels as though following this path would be a good start.

"Ummmm, Sicheng," Jaehyun proceeds to call out.

The dark haired male stops in his steps as he turns to gaze upon what has happened. He manages to keep his expression neutral as he sees one of the purple tulips has grasped his friend within its leaves. It holds his small frame before its head as it seems to be...Smelling him?

"This one reeks of the mortal realm," It states in pure disgust. "Makes me wonder what on earth the King wants with people who don't even look as though they carry much meat on their bones. They'd hardly be a snack for the bandersnatch."

"Would I be able to take my friend back?" Sicheng asks as he walks over to be standing before the tall flower. If there was the possibility for the flower to express a facial expression, the mortal is almost certain that this one in particular would be staring at him in absolute obscenity at what he had just said.

"Of course you may," It starts to lower Jaehyun to the ground once more but suddenly stops as it seems to have come up with a better idea. "But first, you need to tell us who sent you and why." Sicheng chuckles lightly at the question. The flowers are most certain to let the pair pass after hearing that they'd been sent for and brought here by the one and only King.

"His Majesty himself, summoned for us," The dark haired male speaks proudly. "Yuta actually pulled us through my bathroom mirror which led to us ending up in that entrance foyer."

The flowers all seem to outburst in a bunch of whispers as they discuss what has just been said. Many sound surprised whilst others sound amused by his words. Especially the strength as to which he spoke them, he was so certain of his words. Sicheng could almost swear he heard a few of them saying how it was sad to see such an attractive young boy being taken away.

"My poor boy," The purple tulip holding Jaehyun, speaks up again. "Yuta hasn't been the King for at least 15 years. He lost his throne after it was taken from him. The North is controlled by His Majesty, Lee Taeyong, now. The South remains to be ruled by Kim Doyoung, as it has been for many centuries. His forces are impeccable."

"I hear he has roses guarding his entrance," The yellow tulip fawns over the detail.

"I've heard roses can be absolute pricks," A red tulip lights up.

An entire conversation about the positives and negatives of having roses as a guarding plant seems to be a hot topic as all the flowers in the patch begin to rapidly discuss this. However, the purple tulip doesn't join in as it keeps its attention hooked onto Sicheng and his other mortal friend.

Sicheng can't help but feel a slight feeling of confusion as he hears its words. Yuta never told him that he was overthrown. He never breathed word of something so significant ever occurring which made no sense. As a child, he seemed to have everything under control. Yuta has always been so powerful and had an entire following of magic users who would fight for him in an instant. Taeyong had to of appeared after Sicheng's memories were wiped 15 years ago. His dream friend never mentioned him, he had to of appeared at a later stage.

"I'm afraid we will have to take you into custody whilst waiting for the Lee court's soldiers to come and take you in for questioning," The purple tulip says regrettably. This hushes all of the chit chat from the other flowers as they all turn to watch on as the situation unfolds before them.

Jaehyun panics, he is still tight within the plant's grasp. There is no way he can simply tear her leaf as the fall would probably send him into a land of darkness. Yet, Sicheng can't get to him either. Especially as the flower is now going to want to capture him as well. Speaking of with, the purple tulip makes an attempt to capture the dark haired male with her other leaf. Sicheng dodges this as he takes a flying leap backwards.

The flower curses as it just tightens its grip on Jaehyun, causing for him to let out a whimper of pain. The plant hopes this will work as a leverage to lure Sicheng in closer. It doesn't take long for the other flowers to join in on the fun as they all start reaching for the mortal with their leaves.

Sicheng has never been so grateful for his flexibility as he is in this moment. It assists him massively to be able to twist and turn out of the ways of the leafy appendages which keep coming one after the other. The attempts show no sign of slowing down which gives the mortal no time to process and think about what his next move is going to be .

Stop dancing and use your training.

Yuta's voice suddenly makes itself present within Sicheng's mind. His gaze floods with uncertainty as he hears the older's tone. This isn't the first time that he has heard his dream friend speaking to him through his mind. Throughout his childhood years, the older would quite often use this technique in order to adjust the younger to it. It was a more efficient method of communicating when others in the area didn't need to hear what was being said. He just can't put a finger on the exact training that he is referring to.

His thought process is interrupted as a high pitched scream emits from the purple flower. Sicheng looks forward in time to see the purple flower toppling to the ground as it has been cut from its stem. Jaehyun yells out himself as he is suddenly released by the leaf which has suddenly gone limp. He crashes onto the ground and surprising himself, he remains conscious.

I freed your mortal friend. Figure the rest out.

Yuta remarks with a bitter tone and the mortal knows him well enough to know that his mental assistance won't be returning.

Jaehyun runs over to be at his friends side where he just grabs Sicheng's hand in his before dragging him down the path. The pair just run as fast as they possibly can in hopes that they can outrun the raging plants. After the death of the purple tulip, they all seem to be fuming. Yuta isn't present physically so their first belief goes to the assumption that the two mortals before them killed their beloved friend.

The leaves seem to be getting closer and closer as the mortals start to tire. The trail appears to be endless as they both slow down in their escape efforts. Jaehyun lets go of Sicheng's hand as he turns tries to push away the oncoming leaves. His friend attempts the same but they are both unsuccessful as they manage to be swept up in the plant's grasp again. Yet it doesn't last long. After a few moments the leaves holding both of the mortals fall limp, dropping them to the ground yet again.

"Come with me! Hurry!" An unfamiliar voice exclaims.

Sicheng looks in bewilderment as he catches a glimpse of a male figure who wears all black clothes, a dark hood covering any features which might help the pair to identify him. He is armed with two long swords in both hands which he uses to slice away at the flowers whom continue to reach and grab at them all.

Having no other option, Sicheng and Jaehyun follow the stranger who seems to be helping them both out. What seemed to be an endless pathway of these horrific flowers is soon to reach its end as the friends find themselves having a bit of faith in their survival. The stranger leads them to a recluse of the track and behind a few tall trees as the flowers remain behind them. They continue to scream and shout as they do their best to attract the attention of the King.

The stranger remains silent as he sheaths both swords in the harness on his back. Sicheng and Jaehyun move to be standing closer to each other as they both try to examine the person's every move. They can't help but feel slightly startled as the other raises both his hands, but he merely grabs his hood and pushes it off his head, exposing his deep red coloured locks of hair.

"You both seem to have strayed from home," He sounds quite astonished as he says this. "Never fought a flower I see."

"Who are you? Do you work for Yuta?" Sicheng's tone is quite hurried as he starts to ask a handful of questions to the person who has just saved them.

"I don't get a thanks for saving your butts out there?!" The stranger raises his tone as he acts offended. Clicking his tongue, he scratches the back of his head before deciding that he will just answer the stupid question. "My name is Haechan and who I serve is none of your concern."

There is a shared glance between Jaehyun and Sicheng. Jaehyun doesn't want to trust this person but he did just save the pair of them. If he didn't want to help them then why wouldn't he have just left them both to be held captive by those plants? It makes no sense to help them out if he was planning to simply kill them.

Sicheng seems to be having the same mental process as clears his throat. "We are here for Yuta, do you know where he is?" He decides to test the waters and see if this other man is going to assist them at all.

Haechan merely shakes his head with a small smirk growing on his features. "No one simply knows where that man is. Ever since he lost his throne he went into hiding. You only find him when he wants to be found."

"He brought me here," Sicheng starts to raise his tone. "He brought me here to fulfil my part of an oath we made."

"An oath?" Haechan raises his brows in surprise as he hears this. "I haven't come across a mortal stupid enough to make one of those in years. You'll probably die before finding the man you desire to see."

"What do you mean?" The dark haired male dares to ask.

"What I mean is that, upon entry to Petulantia you are always faced with a series of challenges which will benefit Yuta. You have to complete them all whilst staying alive before you may catch even a glimpse of him. That's how he works." The red haired male discloses.

Sicheng doesn't know how to react. He can't find himself fully believing the words being spoken by Haechan. It doesn't sound as though the male knows much about Yuta at all. There was always the risk of having to face some challenges upon finding Yuta's location and Sicheng knew that. But they weren't to benefit his dream friend, they were just what the mortals would have to overcome on their journey. He was sure of that.

"You don't have to believe me," Haechan picks up on Sicheng's mistrust. "Just don't say I didn't warn you. Also don't mention my name when you fight Yuta about it later. I'd much fancy to keep my life."

There is just a silence between everyone. It isn't awkward but it isn't exactly comfortable either.

"Look," Haechan interjects again. "I may not be able to take you to Yuta, but I can help you carry the ocean in your pocket."

"What?" Jaehyun utters.

Haechan smirks at them both as he pulls up his hood once more as he takes a couple steps backwards. He audibly takes in a deep breath before gesturing to the long spiral of a path which is paved out behind him.

"It's merely at the end of this path, but oh," He moves his arm to point at the two mortals before him with a loose finger. "Make sure you don't cry, wouldn't want the ocean to expand any more."


	5. four.

There wasn't much silence as the trio made their way down the dirt path. It almost looks as though rain has been absent from this place for several weeks as the dirt remains bone dry beneath their feet. As they pass different trees and branches which overhang the path, Haechan tends to just hack them down with one of his swords. He gives no warning before doing so, causing a brief emotion of fear to flood through Jaehyun each time their new companion suddenly unsheathes the weapon. Neither him nor Sicheng fully trust the red haired male yet they definitely aren't in a position to disagree with him or even venture without him. Yes, Sicheng had gone through plenty of drills with Yuta, however this was nothing compared to experiencing the actual strength and insanity of Petulantia's features, alone and without his powered friend.

Haechan seems to have taught himself to manage fine without the assistance of magic. He has showed no signs of containing power as he opts to use his pair of swords wherever it's needed. He doesn't speak much of his past or if he even works for anyone as the three of them make their way down what nearly seems to be an endless path. The two mortals don't feel as though their circumstances puts them into a position to have a conversation. They just silently follow the red haired male, doing their best to keep up at the same time as staying out of the way. Neither of them would like to end up on the wrong side of those blades.

The whispers of the wind remained constant in the background. On the odd occasion, Sicheng was able to pick up on a few words or even an entire phrase. 'It's the boy.' 'Master will be happy.' 'Two mortal bloods.' These were the only ones which the mortal to fully grasp and understand. Yuta's training had enabled his understanding for these whispers after many nights of lessons. This meant that Jaehyun, who had received none of these lessons, could merely hear a slight hiss in the wind, unable to articulate the words which were being ever so clearly whispered around him. Whilst Haechan never spoke any words which would suggest he could understand the wind; he would visibly react simply by raising his brows or even laughing beneath his breath. 

"So," Jaehyun clears his throat awkwardly as he breaks the silence. "This ocean that we're going to carry, are we collecting it from a beach? I haven't been to a good beach since I was a child."

Haechan scoffs as he hears this. He hacks down an overhanging branch before opening his mouth to respond to the question. "Of course, you'd think it's a beach. Things here are quite lovely yes, but beaches are not part of the landscape. The ocean is a giant bowl of water which is contained within a huge basin of the earth."

"Isn't that a lake then?" Jaehyun challenges his speech.

"Lake or ocean, it doesn't matter. It's called the ocean of tears and for a good reason. Either way, to be able to pass to your next challenge, you must drain it and hold it in your pocket," The red haired male remarks with a stern expression. He seems to be in a dire need to drain this water, whatever it is.

The silence is quick to fill the environment once more as they continue their trek. Sicheng didn't notice when the whispers of the wind stopped, but the background noise from this is no longer around. The air has a sharp edge to it and it rapidly cools the temperature. All three of the trio are able to sense they are approaching the water's edge. There is a thick scent of salt, similar to the scent of the ocean, as they edge closer and closer to their desired location. The end of the path is now visible as the surrounding trees and foliage fade away, providing a clear view of a wooden sign which is only a few paces away. Approaching the sign, the words, 'Warning, swimming causes immediate death,' become visible. Haechan simply laughs to himself as he walks straight past the sign. The two mortals share a somewhat worried gaze, following his steps up until where he has now come to a stand-still.

Before them is a large body of water, just as the red haired male had described prior to arriving. There is no bridge or anything which could be used to access the lands at the other side of the water. A large castle makes its grand appearance as it takes shape near the far horizon. Sicheng recognises this immediately to be Yuta's old castle. That was where he used to rule, when he used to be the King. No doubt, the new King probably resides there now. He was probably tucked away inside it's walls, seated in the old throne whilst the guards kept watch over the surrounds as well as the inner proximity. If they were anything like Yuta's men, they had probably already caught the mortal's scent.

"Place this in your pocket," Haechan suddenly speaks up as he strides over to Sicheng. He holds a yellow sponge which looks like a mirror copy of the sponges which most households contained up in the mortal realm. There didn't seem to be anything special about it. The mortal simply takes the item before shoving it into his back pocket as best as he can.

"Get in the boat," The red haired male instructs in a somewhat stern tone. Sicheng doesn't ask any questions before simply stepping into the small, wooden object which bobs softly on the small current of the water's surface. His peach haired friend moves to follow yet he is brought to a halt as Haechan steps in his path. He goes to arc up, yet he is beaten to it as the red haired male speaks up.

"He must do it alone, that way he won't bring you down with him."

"Bring me down? What is going to happen to him? Sicheng isn't the most confident swimmer, if he's going to drown-" Jaehyun begins to sound distressed which seems to irk Haechan who shows his first sign of power as he raises his left hand, drawing a thin line into the air with his forefinger, pinched down on his thumb. This causes for the mortal to be unable to open his mouth, in return, removing his way of speech.

Sicheng feels a sense of fear rush through his body as he watches from his seat within the boat. He wants to raise the question as to why they need to drain the ocean which still seems an impossible task. However, he is now too afraid that the stranger will do to him what he did to his friend. If he falls into the water, he'd much prefer to have the ability to scream and cry out as he drowned instead of only being able to let out a soft hum. Haechan seems to pick up on his concern as a smirk grows evident on his features. He shakes out his hand as though it were strained from using magic before stepping forwards, so he is a mere step away from the boat.

"Don't worry, you won't drown and my magic is temporary, meaning your friend will speak again," The red haired male chuckles lightly as he roughly kicks the boat away from the shore. The amount of force seemed to be almost known existent which left room for magic to fill the empty space as the wooden object rapidly moves to be placed in the centre of the deep water.

The mortal can't seem to contain his emotions as he now floats atop the small boat which seems to sway even though the current is almost non-existent. Tears prick at his eyes and no matter how hard he tries to blink them away; they seem to loom closer to the surface before eventually streaming down his cheeks. There are too many to be considered natural as the tears come hard and fast. Sicheng doesn't even feel any emotions of despair as this happens. Panic is thick and evident as he wipes away at his eyes, trying to somehow stop the continuous flow. His vision is blurring as the tears cover his eyes, they are now falling down by the bucketload which has caused for a small pool to form in the bottom of the boat. He goes to call out for help yet is faced with getting his mouth filled with the salty substance, causing for him to choke and close his mouth with no other option.

A quick glance over at the shore shows Jaehyun thrashing against Haechan's grip as he attempts to come and help. Haechan's gaze is filled with the kind of look which causes for Sicheng's insides to turn. He knew this was going to happen. There must be some sort of curse on this god damn ocean.

He isn't given much time to dwell on these thoughts as his attention picks up on the rapidly filling boat. It is almost at the same level as the water, meaning it is soon to be brought down. Sicheng tries to move the centre of gravity to the middle of the boat however, is unsuccessful as he trips over the oar which seems to have simply appeared in the boat upon his first movement. This remains a waste as he falls over the edge and into the open water.

The water is quick to engulf the mortal in it's cold and ungiving embrace. Sicheng pulls from his swimming knowledge as he rapidly attempts to kick his way to the surface. However, the sponge in his pocket seems to be weighing him down. He sinks to the bottom of what seems to be an almost bottomless pit. Panic truly sets in as he grows the desperate need for air. The sponge is unbudging in his pocket as he just feels himself landing on the floor of this ocean. His screams are muffled by the water, they also provide an entrance for the water as it rushes into his lungs. The unconscious state which takes over is almost a gift which removes all feelings of pain and fear.

•••

Sicheng doesn't have to falter in his beliefs as he opens his eyes. Instantly, he recognises the stone bench which he has woken on top of for more times which he would be able to count. He doesn't even check where his companion stands as he raises himself into a seated position, swinging his legs over the side. He goes to jump down onto the ground but is interrupted as Yuta makes himself seem. The jewel on his cheek flashes what seems to be a copper orange, the absence of his hat making this much clearer.

"You are quite the fool," He mutters softly. "You can't step off that rock this time, I'm afraid. Do that and you'll disappear, for good."

"What do you mean?" Sicheng's brows furrow together in confusion.

"You are currently unconscious at the bottom of the ocean of tears. As you are physically in this realm, my magic won't even be enough to stop you from fading away as soon as your two presences conflict by connecting through the earth. Just do us all a favour and stay on the rock," The older seems to be quite frustrated as he speaks.

"Why on earth would you trust Haechan? Let alone work with him?!"

"He saved Jae and I, we didn't really have a choice," The mortal frowns as he sees his companions reaction. This is definitely far from a good sign. He almost doesn't want to discover the truth as to what the red haired male plans to do with them.

"I trained you for that exact situation but obviously that has all gone to waste as you have already forgotten it all," Yuta roughly pushes his hands through his hair as he keeps a bitter expression plastered on his features. "This was all such a waste."

"Would you stop moaning and tell me what's going on?!" Sicheng snaps harshly. Considering his life is hanging in the balance right now, he'd much prefer if the older would stop worrying about whatever it was. The other had already forgotten to mention the fact that his kingdom had been overthrown and Sicheng was not prepared to simply sit back as he spoke more lies.

"You just agreed to assist the new King's right hand in a task which no one has been able to complete for the past century. Only a mortal can drain that ocean and you can bet that once the water is gone, you will be waking in the cool comfort of Taeyong's prison," The dark haired male smiles in disbelief. "I cant help you, there. I have no access to his stupid castle anymore. You're going to be on your own until you can figure your own way out. He will kill you and Jaehyun especially once he figures out that I sent for you. So you're going to have to take action quickly."

Sicheng is too stunned to speak. Had they really been helping the bad guy? That would explain why Haechan had always been hesitant to tell them who he worked for. He was always closed off when it came to anything regarding the political situation of the realm.

"You're about to wake up, when you do, try not to panic and try to think. The guard near your cell, he works for me," Yuta starts to hurry his speech as he realises time is running out. "Seonghwa, that's his name. Mention the name 'Tsujigiri' to him and he'll help you. Just don't tell Taeyong about me okay? Make up any lie but nothing about me."

The colour in his surroundings quickly starts to peel away, causing for Sicheng to grow alarmed as he realises what's happening. He can't leave, not just yet. He isn't ready to figure out his mistakes on his own. More time, a mere 5 more minutes would be ample but that just isn't going to happen.

•••

The dripping of some kind of tap was the first thing to echo throughout the mortal's ears as he slowly regained consciousness. His clothes were soaked through and clung tightly onto his body. It took a few moments for him to realise his pocket was now empty of the sponge and he was now free of the water which had confined him. The room which he is in, is dimly lit, it's only light source being the light which crept through the open doorway opposite the metal bed frame the mortal was laying on. He slowly lifted himself to be in a seated position as he gazed around at the bare brick walls.

Footsteps sound and seem to be nearing the room which he resides in. This causes for him to feel fear for the unknown individual who seems to be marching towards his location. Being located in a foreign environment doesn't calm his nerves at all, especially not when the footsteps have reached the doorway. Standing before him was a tall male in a dark uniform. Dark pants hugged his legs whilst a dark shirt covered his torso. On top of this he wore a black coat which had chains in the place of buttons. Adorning his right eye was a detailed red marking that took the shape of a diamond, the opening of his eye severing the top from the bottom of the design.

"You're awake," The blonde haired male exclaims as he simply hovers in the doorway for a few moments. "Haechan told us you would be out cold for a while, you were under for a while."

"U-Under?" Sicheng stutters.

"Water," The stranger chuckles lightly before making his way over to the mortal. Standing by the bedside, he clasps his hands behind his back in order to peer down at the dark haired male with immense interest. He probably hadn't seen a mortal before. It was rare that any ever came to Petulantia. It was hard to visit a place which has a way of remaining unknown.

"Who are you? Where am I?" It's in this moment that Sicheng notices the absence of Jaehyun. The last he saw of him, he was being held back by the red haired male whom they were both fooled into believing was their companion. "Where's Jaehyun?"

"I'm Park Seonghwa, you're in the King's prison and Jaehyun is waiting for you up in the throne room," The light haired male answers all questions easily. "I am the head guard here, you'll find that I have earned myself quite a nice reputation and have done so for great reasons. Whilst I may be treating you nicely now, it's only because I'm seizing up the potential of my new toy."

Hearing him using the word toy in this regard makes the mortal's stomach twist as it fills with anxiety. There is definitely a great level of intimidation held within the others gaze as he allows for his hands to swing loosely back to his sides. Sicheng suddenly recalls the word which Yuta had spoken to him. His dream friend spoke highly of Seonghwa, mentioning that he would be able to assist in his escape.

"Tsujigiri," He mutters just as the guard moves to make him stand from the bed. This causes for him to immediately halt as he tilts his head to the side slightly.

"Tsujigiri?" He repeats.

Seeing the nod from Sicheng just causes him to smirk.   
"Do you even know what that means? Ah, stupid boy. Come on, let's go to the throne room before you can further fool yourself."

The mortal can't help but feel disappointed by this response. It was the mirror opposite of what he was expecting. Yuta surely wouldn't have set him up for that in this kind of situation. However, Sicheng isn't being shown much which would suggest otherwise and hasn't been since he stepped foot into this realm.

Seonghwa roughly grabs the mortal's arm as he pulls him into his feet. He doesn't say anything before simply gesturing towards the doorway. Sicheng stumbles as he makes his way deeper into the castle which he assumes he is currently in. There is only one path which leads to a spiral staircase, the walls are very closed in on this apparatus with little to no light illuminating the black steps. The mortal hesitated but the guard behind him pushes him forwards, using the palm of his hand. With no questions asked, Sicheng merely begins the climb. Reaching the top, he is faced with a corridor which almost seems to drag on for eternity. It is then that Seonghwa steps to his side and begins to lead the way from his side position. He can't risk going in front as the mortal may run for it.

Reaching the large archway to the throne room, Sicheng can't help but feel déjà vu. His surroundings are so familiar yet so different. Stepping inside, he is instantly able to recognise the obsidian throne which holds a large, diamond shaped stone towards the top of it's back. It used to be a deep shade of violet, Yuta's colour, but that stone has since been destroyed and replaced with a deep, ruby coloured stone. The new King's colour. The surrounding room has been made up with swirls of black, gold and ruby. Grand paintings fill empty spaces and depict the stories of what seems to be hopeless families and even the slaughter of many children. These images strike a strong sense of fear within the mortal as the guard pushes him further into the room.

"Sicheng!" An all too familiar voice suddenly calls his name.

He turns to notice, Jaehyun standing a mere step behind him, also centred in the room. The peach haired male goes to embrace the younger, overwhelmed with relief that his friend is okay. However, he is brought to a stop as Seonghwa steps in between them. The light haired male frowns bitterly at the other as he roughly shoves the mortal backward a few steps.

"There will be none of that," There is an underlying element of hostility to the way in which he speaks to them. "His Majesty despises contact of any sort between others."

"Unless it is a couple whom I am about to kill, you should know that by now, Hwa," a foreign voice remarks with great pride.

All heads are quick to glance behind where they stand to witness a newcomer entering the room. Before them is a man with vibrant red coloured hair, the red is somewhat brighter than the one which Haechan adorned. He wears a suit of the colour black with a ruby red robe attached at his shoulder blades. The ebony lines drawn around his eyes give him a more intimidating look alongside a more feminine vibe. He simply smirks as he makes his way over to be seated on the throne, undoing the top two buttons on his shirt as he does so. This allows for the a glimpse of his bare chest to be clear for all to see.

"Forgive me, your Majesty," Seonghwa doesn't spare a moment of hesitation before bending the knee. When he notices the two mortal prisoners not doing the same, he instantly moves to be standing once more. Walking over to them, he roughly grabs the back of their necks with either hand and pushes them both onto the ground. "You must show your respect to your King."

Sicheng doesn't bother to hide his expression of slight disgust as he hears the sound of both his knees and Jaehyun's crashing against the tiled floors. Lifting his gaze to look upon the red haired male before them, he feels many emotions overcoming him. So this is the man who overthrew Yuta. Whilst he looks somewhat intimidating, he doesn't seem as though he would be much more powerful than the latter.

"Don't be too harsh on them just yet. We don't even know each other. I'm Taeyong," The King grins lopsided as he extends his hand in a mocking matter. It is clear that he has no plans to treat the mortals as though they were his equals.

A silence is quick to fill the room as both Sicheng and Jaehyun remain on their knees. There is nothing which tells them the guard who keeps his place right behind them, won't move to knock them straight down again if they even dare attempt to stand again.

"This would be the part where you tell me your names," Taeyong drawls, lowering his hand once more.

"I'm Jaehyun," The peach haired male speaks up.

A brief glance is shared between the two mortals. The moment is long enough for the dark haired younger to be able to pick up on the fear which has infiltrated the older's gaze. He is rightfully terrified. Neither of them have any idea as to how this will play out, whether they'll get out with their lives or not is a completely different story and concern.

"Sicheng," The other mortal mutters bitterly.

Taeyong smirks slightly as he hears this response. The tone of the mortal seems to just provide a heavy sense of humour to the King. He pauses, as though thinking of what to say next as he bites his bottom lip, tapping the armrests of his throne with his long fingers that bear the weight of several rings.

"What brings you both to Petulantia?" He questions them. His tone suggests that he is willing to play 'nice guy' if they choose to cooperate. Yet, Sicheng has a bad feeling about revealing too much to this man. He has done nothing to earn their trust and if he has managed to take Yuta's place...He can't be any good.

"A mirror, my bathroom one to be precise," He opts to take the sarcastic approach. He feels the glare from his companion on the floor beside him, but he chooses to ignore the immense gaze.

"Don't play stupid with me boy," The King frowns, an almost bored gesture as he refrains from tapping on the furniture. His gaze flickers upward to meet with the guard who stands behind the two mortals. No movements are made by the King, however Sicheng can't hide his flinch as he hears a sword being unsheathed from right behind him. "I'll ask once more, what brings you both to Petulantia?"

"Yuta," Jaehyun exclaims before Sicheng has the chance to open his mouth again. The dark haired younger instantly snaps his head to look at the other in pure horror at the name which he just gave away. They could probably say goodbye to any chance of escaping with their lives in this moment. Yet behind the two, the light haired guard visibly clenches his jaw at the mentioning of this name. The movement is quick and last for barely a second as Seonghwa doesn't want to risk the King capturing this expression.

Taeyong raises his brows at the mentioning of the former King. He can't hide the small chuckle which emits from his lips as he lazily crosses his left leg over his right.

"Now why on earth would a person who has committed treason time and time again, dare bring two pathetic mortals into this realm. That's a real stumper isn't it?"

Sicheng visibly swallows, biting down on his tongue in order to assure he won't allow for any information to slip from his mouth. He hopes Jaehyun notices and gets the message to stop revealing everything he knows, which isn't even the full story. Taeyong picks up on the action of the younger and scoffs audibly, causing for all attention to return to his direction.

"If you'd like for your friend to keep his tongue—" His sentence comes to a halt as he gazed upon the guard. Seonghwa picks up on the phrase as he immediately uses one hand to harshly pull back on Jaehyun's hair, using the other to hold his sword against his vulnerable throat. "I would suggest that you tell me every single detail which dearest Yuta has shared with you."

Sicheng's heart races with adrenaline as he begins to primly function off the immense emotions of fear and panic. It courses thick through his veins as he processes the state which his closest friend is in currently. The blade against his throat has already pierced the skin, causing for a thin line of blood to start cascading down the metallic blade.

Just as Sicheng goes to open his mouth, he is interrupted due to the arrival of another guest to the room.

"Hey! Get your filthy hands off of me!" A familiar voice yells out.

Everyone turns to witness as Haechan does his best to push away at the guard who grips onto his upper arms with a decent amount of force. This guard is dressed the exact same as Seonghwa, excluding the long coat. His hair is a soft brown and seems to have a single braiding is visible on the top of his half-fringe.

"Donghyuck?" Taeyong sounds highly unimpressed.

"That is not my name," Haechan irks as he grimaces, continuing his attempts to lodge himself free from the guard's grasp, who does not seem to plan on letting go anytime soon.

"He tried to flee the castle with a bag of gold, your Majesty," the guard speaks firmly.

"Again? Some people really don't learn," Taeyong clicks his tongue before moving to tap his fingers against the throne yet again. "You bring me gifts and then go and get yourself into trouble again. I could never quite understand your behaviours."

"I don't work for anyone and you know that. I get you gifts, you pay for them and I leave. That was the deal and you know it," Haechan insists with a sour expression. He stops attempting to free his arm from the guard's grip as it's finally become clear to him that he won't be letting go.

"You're my right hand, you don't get to leave," The King let's put a long sigh. "Drop this act yeah? You're not entertaining anyone."

"I'm not trying to, holding a knife to my throat until I agree to be your right hand does not mean I work for you. You can't threaten to kill someone and expect they'll happily work for you," Haechan seems to be growing quite angered as he converses with the royalty before him.

"Take him to his chambers and see to it that he doesn't leave," Taeyong orders the brown haired guard. "We shall discuss this at a later time, Hyuck."

"Of course your Majesty," The guard lowers his head before dragging his captive back in the direction which they both entered. This new guard is brought to a sudden stop in his tracks as Seonghwa turns his head, whispering a word, loud enough for the guard and the guard only to hear.

"Tsujigiri."

Whatever meaning this word holds, it sits deep within the other guard who nods slowly but only once. He doesn't waste another breathe before drawing his own sword. The King nor Haechan have a chance to speak a word as he slices the heels of his prisoner's feet. Letting out a loud cry, Haechan immediately falls to the ground, unable to stand any longer.

"Hongjoong?! What on earth are you doing?!" The King yells in an uproar as he immediately stands from his throne.

The now named, guard meets the red haired male's gaze as he raises the point of his sword to be level with the King's head. Seonghwa uses this moment to take his own blade away from Jaehyun, pulling both mortals up onto their feet. Pushing the pair behind both him and the other guard, he matches Hongjoong's gesture with the sword.

"You know we were never on your side," Seonghwa smirks slyly. "You killed our family and all who we knew but you never earned our loyalty."

The look of betrayal and shock seems to stand out in Taeyong's gaze as he tries to process the event which is occurring before him. He moves to reach for the dagger which he has tucked away safely beneath his shirt, yet he is stopped as Hongjoong throws his sword in his direction. The blade pins the King's hand to the throne, causing for the older to let out a loud cry of overwhelming pain.

"You have no idea what you've just done," Taeyong speaks, an intense concentration of anger thick in his voice.

"We just took back what belongs to our King," Hongjoong remarks with a smirk before soaring a side glance to the light haired guard.

Sicheng stands next to Jaehyun, the pair trembling like crazy as they simply over look the scene which is playing before them. It takes a few seconds for their legs to kick in as Seonghwa and Hongjoong suddenly turn their attention to the pair of them. The pair both grab their arms and tell them to run.

So they run.


	6. five.

"Be a gentleman for a final time, Jaehyun, and just leave," She states harshly. "That is the last thing I will ask of you."

Shuhua doesn't hold back as she unleashed her sobs into the long sleeve of her sweater. Her ex frowns as he is visibly torn. Yet, he still makes the decision to stand from his chair and walk straight out of the cafe, after his friend. He just left her there. If he supposedly cared about her so much, he would've ignored what she said and stayed by her side.

The pain of watching him walk away was nothing compared to pain caused by the fact that he barely put up a fight. From the way which he had composed himself, she can't help but feel as though light was only just being shone on a battle which was lost years ago. Her own emotions had blinded her until this moment.

She is so caught up in her own state of tears, that she doesn't even realise as someone fills the empty space in front of her.

"He left his coffee half full, what a waste," Yeeun clicks her tongue as she pushes aside the cup. "He also left behind his greatest asset."

Shuhua lowers her sleeve as she flickers her gaze across the table to meet with her friends. They'd known each other long before she had started dating Jaehyun. Yeeun had been by her side throughout the entire rollercoaster. At first, her friend had been one of the most supportive of the new relationship. She had considered the two destined to be together, however she saw the cracks forming long before Shuhua did. The latter can't blame her for keeping it a secret as she had in fact, several months prior, attempted to bring attention to these flaws. Shuhua just didn't want to admit what she was saying was true.

"I shouldn't be this upset, I knew it was coming," She remarks with a slight chuckle. It's almost one of complete pity for no one but herself. Yeeun sighs as she extends her arm across the table, gently taking her friend's hand within her own as a comforting gesture.

"Anyone would be upset. He used you."

"I used him," Shuhua suddenly snaps as she pulls her hand back, using her sleeve to wipe away at her tears. "You and I both know why we got together. I was stupid and fooled myself into thinking it could mean more then intended. I deserve all the pain I feel."

Yeeun bites her lip as she tries to think of something to say. No words seem to be appropriate as it remains clear that the other has made up her mind about what is to happen next.

"I should go talk to him," She goes to stand but comes to a halt as her friend reaches out, grabbing her arm once more.

"And tell him what exactly? You saw how terribly he reacted to his best friend's story of his dream friend. Do you really think he'd believe it from you?" Yeeun's tone is laced with disbelief as she does her best to try and get Shuhua to think through her decision.

"Of course I'm not going to tell him. I just can't..." Her phrase trails off as she seems to be caught as to which word to utilise next. "I can't let it end like this."

There is no time for the blonde haired other to say anything else as Shuhua stands, leaving the cafe with a swift pace. Jaehyun's place isn't far from here. The traffic at this time of day is insane which makes it quite a difficult task to cross the road and get anywhere quickly. Arriving at the first intersection, the dark haired girl glares at the traffic light which flashes a green for the cars that are in her way. It only takes a second for the light to skip amber, turning red instantly. The sound of tires screeching as cars come to a sudden halt, all echo into the atmosphere as drivers are surprised by the sudden light change. Shuhua ignores them all as she storms across the road.

Arriving at the door to his apartment, she doesn't hesitate before knocking on the wooden surface. Silence seems to be the only response as she hovers in the corridor. She knocks again before allowing for her gaze to wander the surroundings of his apartment. There are a few other doors near his own, she knows the residents of a few of them. Some she knows quite well, yet the guy who resides at the end of the hall has always made her feel uncomfortable. Whether it be the stench of cigarettes and alcohol which is constantly in his breath or the way he eyed her up and down each time they interact.

The mere thought of having to see him causes for her heart rate to increase as her knocks become slightly more panic driven. The click of a door unlocking can be heard but it isn't from the door which she wants. Out of the corner of her eye, Shuhua notices as the dreaded man steps outside of his place. She doesn't share a full glance in his direction as she pulls her phone out, placing it to her ear as she pretends to answer a phone call. Taking this opportunity, she rushes to the elevator and manages to close the doors before the other can follow.

Going down to Sicheng's floor, she steps of diligently, making her way to what has become the second most familiar door to her within this building. It surprises her to see the door wide open, allowing for anyone who walks by to look inside. She lowers her phone, placing it in her pocket as she takes small steps into the apartment.

"Hello?" She calls out into the eerie silence which fills the space.

Her feet take her straight to the bathroom. She doesn't even process the direction which she is headed to until she is inside the tiled space. The door slams shut, enclosing her within this space as soon as she clears the archway. This causes for her to let out a little yelp of shock, dropping her bag to the ground.

"The mortal life has made you quite...Human," a familiar voice speaks in disgust from behind her. She turns around quickly, not at all surprised as she sees the red haired male standing before her. He has hands intertwined behind his back as he takes a step, lessening the space between the pair.

"Taeyong," Shuhua breathes out his name.

The named male smirks at her, moving his hands to be before him as he picks a bar of soap up from the counter near the sink. He raises it to his nose, sniffing the faint lavender scent before simply lowering his hand once more.

"I didn't give you the okay to leave dear old Jaehyun. I wasn't ready," He begins his monologue.

"He broke up with me, I had nothing to do with it," Shuhua retorts, her voice growing softer at each word. It is still a sensitive topic to voice out loud.

"You loved him," a chuckle emits from the red haired male's lips. "The one and only Yeh Shuhua fell for a mortal. Pathetic." Upon the mentioning of the last word, the other crushes the soap bar within his hand. He seems to be in no rush to get the white chunks off his hand as he slowly turns on the tap, beginning the process of washing the substance into the basin.

"I didn't mean to. He was much different to any other mortal whom I've ever met," Shuhua tries to defend herself. She avoids eye contact the entire time, knowing how horribly the male before her is taking in this information.

"He tore your heart into many little pieces, yet he was different. Does that seem to be something which any good human would do? I must be getting my facts horribly wrong if that's the case." Taeyong's tone grows more and more agitated as he continues to speak.

"Your task was to seduce him in order for us to gain access to Yuta's dear old Sicheng. Once the time was right, you were to leave him and return home where we could await for their invasion. Yet your stupid feelings have once again gotten in the way. Now he's left you broken and you expect me to feel sorry for you?"

Shuhua swallows as a wave of nerves, including fear suddenly envelope her. She has no words as she just keeps her gaze low, allowing for the older to continue his harsh statements.

"You need to snap out of this, Shu."

"I know," She admits, weakly.

"I'll be lenient this time," He begins. "You'll come home with me in this moment. Jaehyun and Sicheng have infiltrated Petulantia and taken off with my strongest guards. Your task to redeem yourself is to hunt them down and bring the mortals back to me. I want Jaehyun dead but Sicheng needs to be breathing."

"W-What?" Her voice trembles as her shocked gaze raised to meet with the red haired male's, who merely smiled back at her.

"Show them all that the dark doyenne has returned. Do you understand?"

Shuhua does her best to mask her fear with a soft smile as she calmly responds, "Of course."

•••

They kept running, even when the mortals felt as though their legs were close to giving up on them. The uneven surfaces of what was dirt paths and even gravel paths, littered with tree roots and fallen branches, weren't exactly made for comfortable running. Yet, the two guards seemed to not even be tiring in the slightest as they continued at the same pace to which they'd started with. Sicheng supposes they must have had to go through years of immense training to be able to build up stamina such as this. He doesn't want to even imagine what kind of gruelling training regimes they would have been though. Though he supposes magic could also have a vital role to play in their seemingly perfect figures. They'd displayed no signs of containing this, yet Haechan hid his own magic for almost an entire day before he used it against the mortals. They couldn't afford to lose vigilance on their situation. Not again.

Sicheng couldn't help but start to wonder whether they were being taken to Yuta. The quick pace they upheld assured him that the new King has probably sent his remaining army after them. Or some of his forces at least. Seonghwa and Hongjoong had just betrayed him and done so quite quickly. It made the mortal ponder over and over again what kind of relationship they had with Yuta. At the mere mention of that word, even if the initial response from Seonghwa was delayed, it caused them to turn against the man in true power.

Maybe Yuta had saved them in the past, or maybe they were merely loyal to the original King. There was also the possibility that both mortals had been tricked and were currently being taken to their slaughter, yet Sicheng refused to give fuel to this thought.

The running only came to a stop once the four of them reached what seemed to be a cave. It's heightened entrance only showed a gaping hole of darkness which did not seem inviting, not even in the slightest. A small pond seemed to have made home in the safe before the entrance. Jaehyun keeled over as he breathed heavily. He was certainly not built for that much running. Sicheng wanted to do the same but the feeling of uncertainty which was thick in his mind kept him upright as he studied the movements of the guards.

Neither of the pair seemed to have their breathing quickened. even in the slightest, as they moved towards the entrance. No words were shared as they silently walked through the pond and into the entrance of the cave. They both hovered at the immediate front as they turned to look at the mortals. Jaehyun was hesitant to follow but after a nudge from his friend, he managed to pull himself onto his feet, following at his side. The pair reach the cave, no more time is wasted as the guards being the trek into the darkness. The mortals were unable to see anything, relying on their hearing as they shuffled close behind the guards. They almost knocked themselves over when the other two came to a sudden stop, causing for the mortals to crash into them. Their stances held like concrete pillars.

"Tsujiguri."

Seonghwa murmurs the damned word once more. Upon his speaking of this, the sound of approaching footsteps echoes quite loudly as whoever is coming, is coming fast. They all hold their breathes and remain in absolute silence as a light suddenly flickers on overhead. Yet, when Sicheng and Jaehyun gaze upward, they are unable to catch a glimpse of any light source. Wherever the lights coming from doesn't seem to matter to the guards as they have their feet planted firmly where they are.

Slowly, two figures seem to emerge about 100 metres before the group. They both wear similar attires of the guards, however instead their clothes bearing the dark ebony colour, they hold the deep red of blood. As they step closer, Sicheng is able to take in the black hair on one and the silver coloured hair on the other. They both contain caution within their eyes which is quick to flutter to recognition as they begin to run over. Seonghwa and Hongjoong merely smile as they embrace these two men. Soft chuckles are the only sounds emitted as the pairs seem to be seeing each other after passing years of not.

"You got out," the blonde haired male exclaims, nothing but joy and relief in his tone. "You have no idea how long we have been waiting for this day."

"Mortals," The dark haired suddenly scowls as he draws a dagger which was hidden within his sleeve. The blonde moves to do the same yet they are stopped as Seonghwa steps before them, his hands raised, palms outward to them.

"They're with us. Yuta called for them," His explanation seems to be enough as both of the newcomers pocket their weapons before extending their arms to shake hands. Sicheng and Jaehyun do their best to hide their tremble as they take on the kind gesture.

"Where are the others?" Hongjoong suddenly speaks up.

Jaehyun's head suddenly snaps on Sicheng's direction. There are more of them?! How many of these people could their possibly be? The mortal already felt a strong sense of fear when they were with the two guards dressed in black alone. As the number of them starts to add up, he can't help but start to wonder as to whether they will truly make it through this in one piece. It would be a lie if he said these beliefs weren't being influenced by all the betrayals he had witnessed, whether through the television of through the pages of a novel. These things occurred when the protagonists were least expecting it. Jaehyun already knew his thoughts weren't completely irrational, especially following the situation which had occurred with Haechan.

"They're resting," The blonde haired male remarks softly. "You should know that Mingi still holds a heavy grudge, Hwa. He hasn't forgiven you and probably won't be welcoming you with open arms."

The taller merely chuckles as he hears this. The fact that this person is angry with him doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest. He raises a hand to scratch the back of his neck before stepping forward to pat the other on the shoulder.  
"Take us to them, San. Stop dawdling, yeah?"

"Wooyoung, the mortals?" The now named, San, gestures to the two. His dark haired companion keeps his expression neutral as he simply nods. Placing his hands into the pockets of his trousers, he begins the walk further into the cave.

The rest follow only a step or two behind. Sicheng knows that their human pace will easily be the reason as to why him and his friend will get lost, even if they fall out of line for the briefest moment. The pace of these guards was not one which an ordinary man could keep up with for long. Jaehyun was doing surprisingly well as he only did a small shuffle every few moments in order to maintain the pace. Sicheng recalled these lessons from Yuta as he didn't find it too difficult to maintain the crazy pace.

Sicheng can't help but open his mouth in awe as their surroundings morph into what seems to be an underground camping unit. The space is lit well with chained lights lining the crevices of the ceiling. A pile of semi burnt wood and ash lays upon what seems to be the entrance to this place, surrounded by stones and some logs which seem to be there for seats. Behind this sits two rows of single beds which seem to follow the cave down for a long distance. Four men seem to be lounging around these beds, all excluding one raise in order to inspect the sudden guests.

One by one, three men who wear the same clothes as San and Wooyoung, embrace the two red dresses guards. Each of these men turn to look at the mortals as though they were a necessity to harm, being stopped, much to Jaehyun and Sicheng's gratitude, by Seonghwa who continued to explain how Yuta had summoned for these guys. The mere mentioning of Yuta seemed to work like a charm time and time again as it worked quickly to snap the men out of their blood lust filled thoughts.

"Long time no see," The last male who remains seated on one of the beds calls out.

Seonghwa's brows perk up as he gazes towards the male who sits half in the shadows. Hongjoong smiles tightly as he allows for the light haired guard to make the first move, approaching the other alone.

"Indeed, I see you took great comfort in taking my bed," He smiles bitterly, coming to a halt just before the metal frame.

The male on the bed sighs before moving to be standing in his feet. This moves him to be fully visible in the light, his deep red coloured hair almost blends with the uniform he wears. Yet he has chosen to not wear a jacket or coat as a fainter shaded, three-quarter sleeved shirt wraps around his torso. There also seems to be red, diamond shaped marking over his eye, almost identical to the one belonging to Seonghwa. Folding his arms across his chest, he dares make eye contact with the male opposite him.

"I wasn't expecting you to come back," He spits out as though the words he spoke were some kind of poison. "At least, not in one piece."

"Well, look at me defying the odds again dearest Mingi," Seonghwa's smile fades as he notices the eye marking. "Did you have fun playing dress-ups? Hate to break it to you but play time is over, Mingi."

"Someone has to take your place, Aurora doesn't run without a leader," The red haired male responds, his voice quite firm. He doesn't have a chance to speak another word as the pale haired guard draws a dagger from beneath his sleeve. He moves quick to slice a thin cut on the top and bottom of the marking. Mingi curses vulgarly as he clutches at the wounded area. Lowering his hands once more, it is revealed that the marking has disappeared, leaving behind two small cuts.

"Funny cause I seem to remember leaving Yunho as the one in charge while we were gone. And I didn't give anyone permission to be marked," Seonghwa shakes his head in disapproval before throwing his dagger onto the bed which he would be soon to take over again. "Thanks for keeping my bed warm, brother, now I'm going to have to order you, as your commander, to migrate back to your own."

"Taeyong should have killed you," Mingi mutters beneath his breath but the older hears every word. Yet he chooses to ignore it for now as he turns his attention back to the others who just laid witness to the entire scenario.

A couple of the guards seem to be laughing lightly which is a stark contrast to the expression held on Jaehyun's face which reads pure fear. Nothing of what he just witnessed was assuring him that him and Sicheng were safe here. If anything, they seemed to be anything but safe. Sicheng has picked up on the fear from his friend as he comfortingly grabbed his hand. They shared a gaze which held many emotions from both sides, yet Sicheng did his best to be reassuring. He trusts these people, no matter how terrifying they may seem.

It is only due to the immense training which Yuta had put them through upon joining his cadre of the strongest. There was eight of them and they were infamous throughout Petulantia. There sole purpose used to be to protect Yuta and his crown at all costs. No matter how small the assassination or large the war, they were to always fight for their true King. Aurora is what Yuta had named this group of powerful men. How the recognition had only struck Sicheng now, he wasn't too sure, but it was better late than never.

"Yeosang, start the fire, we have some explaining to do," Seonghwa exclaims softly. "We will seek out Yuta tomorrow, for now we will rest and I'll answer your questions." He explains to the mortals before gesturing to the logs surrounding the fireplace. The flames have just started to crackle and burn as they take a seat, Seonghwa sitting on the log to their left. Hongjoong on his other side, the rest of the cadre following suit as they fill up the remaining logs. Surprisingly, even Mingi makes his way over. Though he sits across from Seonghwa, the furthest position from the other male.

Sicheng leans into Jaehyun's side gently as he tries to be a constant reminder that the pair of them are in this together. His friend is completely out of his element. He wasn't lucky enough to receive Yuta's lessons, meaning these people would be completely terrorising him. Sicheng wasn't exactly fearless in this moment, in this situation, he was just feeling slightly better about it.

"What happened? Why is Yuta no longer in power?" Sicheng begins to rapidly fire the questions.

"We fought, we fought as best as we could," Seonghwa frowns as he seems to be recalling the memory. "Taeyong had the element of surprise on his side which eventually led to our defeat. He managed to get control of a bandersnatch which quickly tore through the majority of our army. The magic, combat and beasts which he used—we were no match. The cadre had no choice but to do what was the best option for keeping Yuta alive. We had to run. We hid him in a seperate lodging before we found our own lodging here. There is much more to the story between Taeyong and Yuta but that isn't my place."

There is a moment of complete silence as Sicheng allows for the explanation to swim though his thoughts. He doesn't know what to think as he hears this. Nor does he even want to begin to imagine the impact of this war. It must have been huge. The bandersnatch was something which Yuta had always spoken of as though it were a myth. It was extremely rare to be able to find one, let alone to train one to be at your beck and call.

"Taeyong wanted to take over us and make us his cadre," San breaks the silence. His gaze flickers up to meet Sicheng's, then Jaehyun's before returning to the ground. "H-He destroyed our home towns and killed everyone who was unfortunate to be residing there, no matter whether they were part of our family or not. He believed this would be enough to convince us to stay with him. We weren't stupid and we were loyal. We stuck with Yuta."

"But Hongjoong and Seonghwa ended up working for the dreaded blood king. Four months they resides under his control," Yeosang speaks. "It wasn't because Taeyong had won them over, it was because Yuta had forced them. He knew you two would be coming and he wanted them to intercept you."

Seonghwa and Hongjoong both nod, accepting this explanation, neither having anything to really add.

"He let us go quite easily," Sicheng states in realisation. "Four months? How did Yuta know we were coming that long ago? I only started to talk to him again a few days ago."

"Time is different here," Seonghwa speaks up once more. "Four months for us has been a few days for you."

"Taeyong will send his shifter after us," Hongjoong intervenes. "She is his best chance at retrieving what is his. He won't be too fussed by Hwa and myself but he will indeed want you, mortals." Jaehyun gulps, visibly afraid which is picked up by everyone around them. Sicheng goes to nudge him, in order to align their gazes, yet he is interrupted as the commander opens his mouth to speak again.

"You guys will be perfectly safe with us, you needn't stress or worry. That's a waste of energy."

This does little to calm Jaehyun who seems to be thinking of somewhere else as his gaze remains fixed on a certain point on the ground. Sicheng decides not to push on him as whatever he is doing, it's keeping him somewhat distracted from how serious their situation is slowly becoming. Every time a member of the cadre opens their mouth, another pang of terror seems to be struck within Jaehyun. Especially when they begin to brag and chuckle about their body counts from a war fought a few hundred years ago. Specifically a victim who was claimed by Yunho, an arrow straight to the eye, followed by his head being chopped off by the end of Yunho's blade. He was most impressed as he recalled this kill. So were the others as they applauded his efforts.

The sudden conversation meant that night approached them quickly. The time for rest arrived which led to Sicheng and Jaehyun being given two spare beds which were just down from Seonghwa and Mingi's. The dark haired male was hesitant to leave the peach haired male alone on the bed across from him, but the older assured him that he would be okay. Sicheng fell into the embrace of sleep quite quickly, whilst Jaehyun lied awake for hours. He could hear the soft snores which came from several of the men who were sharing this space. but that wasn't what was keeping him awake. His heart had barely slowed down the entire time since he had stepped through the mirror. The entirety of his existed had regretted the said decision and wished he was back at home in the normality of earth.

Shuhua.

The name suddenly makes itself known within his thoughts. He had left back home, alone and in tears. He couldn't help but wonder if she was okay. Hopefully Yeeun had reached her table, had realised what had happened. He felt terrible but at the same time relieved. The guilt had been clawing at him each day he held onto any tiny hope which suggested he still loved her. He was always too much of a coward to admit it.

His thoughts are brought to a screeching halt as he hears a loud crash echoing through the walls of the cave. The rest of the cadre seem to have heard this as they all immediately move into seated positions. Jaehyun slips out of his bed as he shakes Sicheng awake. His friend looks confused as he also moves to be in a seated position. The members of Aurora have risen to be stabbed, weapons clearly visible in their hands, a mix of swords and daggers. San even holds a bow and arrow. Hongjoong and Seonghwa have nothing changed but into their rightful blood red uniforms as they all stalk towards the space where the noise emitted from.

Wooyoung treads in front of them, his long sword tended before him as he steps into the space where the lights don't reach. Sicheng and Jaehyun both jump, getting startled as he is suddenly flung back past the cadre, coming to a crashing halt on the ground. Seonghwa moves to the front as he raises his two swords. A soft growl sounds as a figure steps into the light. Upon first glance it is clear that the furry creature which towers over them all isn't here for pats. The large, four legged animal continues to growl, showing its razor sharp canines to them all, drool dripping from its jaws.

"Bandersnatch, the shifter," Seonghwa mutters in disgust.

He makes the first move, slashing with his rights then left blade. The creature dodges both easily as it moves to grab one of the blades within its mouth. Just before it is able to gain a grasp on this, Mingi lunges forwards, placing his own sword in the way. The impact causes for the creature's head to snap backward. Any hatred between the pair seems to be dissolved in battle as they work as one. San shoots an arrow which plants itself firmly within the thick fur coat whilst Yunho throws a dagger which lands square in the beasts eye. Hongjoong doesn't hesitate as he steps forward, holding his sword high. Jongho has rushed back to assist Wooyoung onto his feet again before the pair charge forwards. Yeosang maintains the line beside Seonghwa as they all slash away with their blades.

Jaehyun and Sicheng remain back at a safe distance as they just watch, unable to really contribute anything to this fight. The beast seems to be quite effortlessly defending itself, the blades only cutting away at the thick, layered fur. With a guttural roar which fills the entire space, making the mortals cringe at the loud noise, the bandersnatch swipes out with both paws, knowing the entire cadre onto their asses as they're sent sliding across the floor.

Having temporarily disarmed them, the creature treads towards the mortals. It kicks its lips as it approaches them. It uses its paw once more to seperate the pair, ignoring Sicheng, its taste seems to be for Jaehyun and Jaehyun alone, much to his displeasure. The mortal yells out as he is backed against the wall of the cave.

The cadre have risen to their feet once more. San plants another arrow deep within the neck of the beast just as it moves to engulf Jaehyun within its jaws. The creature lets out a whine before taking a step backward. It lunges once more at the cadre, only to be brought to a crashing halt as Seonghwa and Mingi both skewer their swords through the opened jaw of the bandersnatch. The beast falls limp onto the ground for a few moments before shrinking down into the figure of a young woman, adorning dark hair. Jaehyun is frozen with fear which is quick to turn into shock as he recognises the girl who has now moved into a standing position. She cradles her arm which has a long and deep gash that bleeds heavily.

"Shu?" He exclaims.

She gazes upon him, eyes filled with hurt before she turns to snarl at the cadre. Seonghwa stands, holding his sword ever so close to her throat. Just as he goes to slice her head away, she disappears into a pile of dust.

It was an illusion.

She wasn't really there. That was why the beast was so weak. Her powers weren't in full usage but it was just enough to sniff out the enemy. She now had the entire cadre as well as the mortal's scent which meant she could easily shift into any creature who could track them within the blink of an eye. They needed to move. The cadre have caught onto this thought as they immediately pocket their weapons, not bothering to wipe away the blood before rushing to their bedsides, putting together small bags of absolute necessities before moving to run out of the cave yet again. Jaehyun doesn't seem as though he wants to move as he remains frozen in the same place. Surely that was a trick, Shu can't be here, she can't have magic. She just tried to kill him.

"It wasn't her," Sicheng tries to assure him with a lie. "Taeyong is playing tricks."

"No that was Shuhua," Mingi destroys his crafted lie immediately. "She is the strongest shifter to have ever existed. We are lucky she only faced us through an illusion, otherwise your buddy would probably be in that beast's stomach round about now."

"Enough, we need to go now," Seonghwa interrupts them.

Sicheng tugs in Jaehyun's arm, half dragging him as the pair follow the eight men before them. The dark haired mortal recognised most of his surroundings as they make their way to the next destination. Surely that was only the first of many attacks from Taeyong. The next ones which would probably ensue were sure to contain an army or maybe a cadre of his own. If it was the shifter in her true form, they could quite possibly be screwed, which is why they needed to get to Yuta. He would know exactly what to do.

Many glares are shed back towards Sicheng and Jaehyun as they crunch twigs and leaves beneath their feet. Apparently the noise is too much when compared to the complete silence which is made from the cadre's feet as they walk. They sm don't seem to be breaking anything as they tread lightly than even air itself. Both Sicheng and Jaehyun hadn't believed that it was possible to tread so lightly, even in the movies they made sound. It was suggested in books that the best warriors could do this, yet they'd never seen it proven until now. It would be a great asset to keep their locations and paths hidden as they ran or moved anywhere. Yet that's where the stark colour of the uniform confused Sicheng greatly. It seemed like a colour which would do anything but blend in unless everywhere they travelled were red, which it simply wasn't.

Seonghwa suddenly gestures for them all to be silent as they reach the outskirts of what seems to be a large tree with long leaves that encase a space within. The mortals find this gesture quite ironic considering no one has made a sound — excluding the crunch of leaves — since they've left the cave. They all step through the leaves and into what Sicheng and Jaehyun. expect to be a confined space. However, they are extremely surprised as they view a giant tree which has a castle structure soundly built into it. The front door to this place creaks as it swings open. No one seems to be standing near the archway, the door seeming to have opened through the usage of magic and magic alone. The cadre walk inside first, removing any coats to be hung on hooks beside the door. Jaehyun and Sicheng silently enter the hallway, getting startled by the door which slams closes behind them.

"Geez, you're quite jumpy aren't you," an all too familiar voice sniggers. The guards in front all step aside as a tall figure approaches. The top hat is an immediate give away as the male raises his head. The tear shaped jewel glows a strong dark green as he throws the hat to the floor. "We finally meet outside your dreams, Sicheng."

"Yuta," is all the dark haired mortal can bring himself to say.


	7. six.

"Yuta?" Sicheng exclaims in a surprised tone.

He takes notice of his friend who tenses at his side. The peach haired male can't help but feel a rush of fear flooding all of his senses as he gazes upon the male whom he thought only existed within Sicheng's dreams. It doesn't take for one who has powers them self to be able to feel the strong aurora of magic which is practically dripping off the other. Yuta seems to notice the peach haired male's emotions as he moves his gaze to meet with his.

"Jaehyun, you were an unexpected guest," He states in a tone which is unable to be deciphered by the mortal. At first it sounds somewhat genuine, kind even. Yet, the particular set of words paired with the way the dark haired's smile tightened, paves the way for Jaehyun to feel as though he isn't meant to be here.

Sicheng takes a small step forward, placing himself between the two as he diverts Yuta's attention back to himself. It's too early for Jaehyun to be placed under this kind of spotlight. Sicheng knows he unintentionally followed, which no doubt he would be required to explain in full detail to his dream friend who stands with a tightened smile still covering his features.

"We need to talk," Sicheng mutters, tone laced with a seriousness which his mortal friend knows all too well. Conversations starting with that tone alongside that phrase never end well.

"Indeed we do," Yuta's smile falls from his features, his jewel flashing a strong shade of red as he raises his left hand. Nothing else is spoken as he snaps his forefinger against his thumb. The surroundings for the pair immediately change to be their common meeting place at the rock.

"You just left Jae behind," Sicheng can't help but feel panicked as he realises he has just been separated from his friend. The latter being left with a cadre of eight overly powerful men whom the pair hardly knew didn't leave him with much faith or confidence in what was to be the outcome for his friend.

"Seonghwa will take him to be bathed by the fae if he pleases," Yuta explains all too simply. He doesn't have a care in the world regarding the peach haired male whom the younger held so dearly. "Afterwards he will be shown to his chambers which he will be restricted to for the duration of your stay."

"Restricted? This isn't some kind of prison," The younger retaliates against the dark haired male's words. "Can't you just send him back if you don't want him here that badly?"

The chuckle which emits from Yuta's throat is so dark and low, it causes a shiver to cross over the mortal's spine. He swallows nervously as the powerful being before him cracks his knuckles before continuing his speech.

"I wish I could, however there is only one way out of this place and that way is currently within the depths of Taeyong's beloved castle," His voice is now laced with an undertone of an icy rage which is clear to have been stirring for the past quarter of a century. "It took all of my leftover magic from the portal to bring you here Sicheng. Bringing Jaehyun drained me."

"You don't look very drained," Sicheng scoffs as he swiftly walks past the older, leaning against the rock as he allows for the cooling surface of the stone to try and cool him down. He is beginning to become quite hot beneath the collar. He tries to ignore the whispers which have already commenced from the wind. "They're fighting." "This isn't how it's meant to go is it?" "The Master plans all." It only irks him more as he hears the voices referring to Yuta as some kind of 'Master.'

"Because I have had time to recover. Had your friend not followed you through that portal, I would've been able to collect you straight away from the isle of tulips. But I found myself out of teleportation magic meaning I had no choice but to sit back as you and that mortal filth wasted time being fooled by Taeyong's second in command," Yuta snaps harshly. Each time he mentions Jaehyun, he speaks the phrases as though they were poison.

"And how were we supposed to know that Haechan wasn't on our side? How dare you grow angry with the fact that we were conned and trapped in the castle which happened to use up time when you hadn't even bothered to tell me you were no longer King," The younger pushed himself off the support of the rock as he closes the distances between the pair. Holding the older's gaze, he is able to truly examine the shade of red in the jewel which only deepens by the minute. No doubt, he is growing as angered as Sicheng.

"This is a war that you have walked your merry way into, Sicheng," Yuta hisses. "I don't know if you have cared to look around, but Petulantia is at war. We do not have the time to spare for you to be foolish enough to ignore all the lessons which I taught you throughout your childhood. Each and every one of them were enough to prepare you for all the situations which you have been faced with so far, all of which you have failed miserably. In war, there is no time for failure unless you are planning to lose and be killed, which is most certainly not an option in this."

"Do you think after all the things you have failed to mention, after all the danger Jaehyun and I were put in, I'd give a damn about you winning the war?!" Sicheng raises his tone. If he had a jewel of his own, he believes it would also be glimmering a magnificent red right about now.

"Are you truly that naive that you believe Taeyong will stop after taking my crown? Next it will be the South kingdom to fall. Once he has claimed Doyoung's thrown, he will move for your mortal realm. As to why, that hasn't hit me yet. You are all beyond weak and irritating, none of you would provide any use for any armed forces. My cadre is enough to crush all of your armies combined," The dark haired male exasperates, tone beyond frustration at this stage.

"You do realise I had Seonghwa and Hongjoong risking their lives by faking loyalty to Taeyong. It was not for you, Sicheng. They were acting as spies for me and for the Kingdom. Anytime battle plans or further movements were discussed, they would be quick to relay it back to me. I had only told them to assist you if it was absolutely required, which they'd be able to understand by your wording of 'Tsujigiri.' And now thanks to you and Jaehyun, not only have the past three days been wasted, my two men on the inside have been compromised."

Sicheng has no idea what he is to say in retaliation to this. The anger which boils his blood throughout his body has caused for him to be stumped for thoughts. Hearing Yuta's explanation indeed makes sense, but nonetheless it fails to lessen the effects of everything which the two mortals have encountered in their short period of time in Petulantia. Hearing the pure hatred which the other has for Jaehyun only leads to Sicheng doubting what he said was to be happening with the peach haired male upon their sudden disappearance. For all he knew, the other could be being horrifically tortured as they fought.

"Tsujigiri, what does it mean?" The mortal asks in a voice which is barely a whisper. Yuta himself pauses as he hears this, being surprised by this response.

"To murder a stranger with one's sword," The words roll off his tongue smoothly, the anger in his tone having lessened ever so slightly. "A nickname handed over to me after my past. I passed it onto my cadre as a kind of code word of sorts. It was common amongst anyone over three centuries of age, yet the newer generations having heard it, making it a mostly secure word to be used by those on our side."

The mortal merely nods. His blood chills at the way in which the older had explained it was relevant to his past. Sicheng knew nothing of what he had been like with his mother, let alone over 300 years ago. Yes, Yuta was one of the most powerful male's to have ever existed. It would only make sense that he had earned this strength from many wars or even assassinations which had been completed in his long and ever stretching past.

His mother.

"Do you know how she is?" Sicheng finds the previous topic which caused immense tension and anger between the pair immediately fading as his thoughts begin to fill with concern as to what is happening back at the asylum. Three days had passed here, meaning almost a single day had passed back home, if he had remembered correctly.

The red colour within the jewel beneath Yuta's eye begins to fade into a soft purple as he hears this. He visibly frowns as he turns to have his back to the mortal. Taking a few paces away, he tries to hide the way which he heaves his chest as he inhales a deep breath before extending the exhale.

"I don't think you'll want to see her."

Sicheng's gaze fills with panic, his head snapping upward as he rushes over to grab the older's arm. With a pleading look he turns him around to face him once more.

"Please."

Yuta wishes he had the power to forge reality. In all honestly, he could depict a complete lie to the mortal and show his mother being treated well. He could even show Mrs Dong being discharged and driven home by her husband. The powerful being had mastered the act of creating a false vision such as this, just not for those who he cared for. It was easy to manipulate the minds of those who were against you. Grudges and anger always overpowered any sense of guilt you may have in those situations. Yet there was something about seeing those you care about every day, knowing you caused them to become gullible enough to believe what you made them see, which makes it an almost impossible task to complete.

He mentally apologises to the mortal before raising his right hand, gently placing his forefinger against the younger's forehead. He pulls it pack slowly to reveal a blue string surround with an aura which seems to be attached. Muttering a few words, Yuta flattens his palm, sending the blue aura crashing into the mortal's head.

•••

Mrs Dong sits in the corner of her room, in between the small space which resides in the middle of her bedside table and the wall. She holds her knees close to her chest as she rocks back and forth in a constant motion, humming an unfamiliar tone beneath her breath. Every few moments she will scratch the top of her head or peel at the skin on her face. A white bandage can be seen on both of her hands, an attempted barrier which is meant to help stop her from harming herself. A large, purple and blue bruise can be clearly seen on each of her temples.

"Good evening Ms, it's time for your treatment," A nurse speaks in one of those fake tones of kindness which all the hospital staff at this asylum seem to use.

She fawns a smile as she walks over to the older woman. Assisting her to her feet, the nurse walks her out of the room. They wander down the halls and through a few locked doors before arriving at the room of her specified treatment.

Opening the door, a stretcher is placed within the centre of the room. Some kind of machine which had a headset, two prongs cushioned with a thin layer of a fluffier material is positioned. There are straps all over the bed, in place to hold the patient still.

Mrs Dong is placed on the bed, where the nurses make the immediate effort to strap in her ankles, wrists and the top of her head. The top band is firm enough to refrain any possible movement of the head, yet there are two gaps on either side which allow just enough space for the headset to be placed on the temples.

"Mrs Dong, it's lovely to see you," The doctor exclaims, sounding quite pleased as he walks in with the clipboard of her medical notes in his hand. He hands it over to a nurse before picking up the headset. Whilst he does this, a nurse places a belt between the patient's teeth.

He reads the information on the screen of the machine before flicking on the switch. A nurse recites the amount of electrodes they used last time before he adjusts the dial, choosing the appropriate strength. Once it's set, he initiates the signal. He places each prod on their positions over the temples, causing for Mrs Dong's entire body to violently tremor, fully pressing itself against the restraints.

•••

Sicheng stumbles backward several steps as he is pulled from this vision. He opens his eyes, following some kind of blind compulsion as he walks towards the nearest tree, placing his hands on it for stability. He is unable to stop the round of contents which finds itself leaving his stomach as he vomits onto the ground. Yuta frowns solemnly as he walks over to his friend. He goes to place a hand over his shoulder as a gesture of comfort. However, Sicheng pushes him away.

"You promised me you wouldn't let them hurt her. You promised you wouldn't let them do electric shock therapy," The younger is visibly wounded. His gaze is filled with hurt and betrayal as he remains leaning against the chair, trying to steady his breathing after emptying out the contents of his stomach.

The older's jewel begins to change, the softest orange tone begins to seep into view. He seems to have receded in his decision to be near the mortal as he traces back his steps, refilling the distance which was between them.

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" His sudden tone is overcome with venom. "Your mother was going into that treatment just after you and Jaehyun stepped through that portal. I was too drained to be able to interfere. Had your buddy stayed behind then not only would I have come and collected you, I would have been able to stop those humans from frying her brains."

Sicheng shakes his head slowly, pure refusal to accept the older's explanation. All of the anger which he had felt prior to that vision is quickly filling the void within him. It is almost raising to the point where the mere thought of the other's existence is enough to push him over the edge. Had he not been so powerful, Sicheng may have physically attacked him right then and there. His senses and his years of childhood dreams with the other was enough to stop him from doing so.

"If you only had enough power to bring me through," He begins, placing emphasis on each and every word. "Then why did the portal remain open and not close upon my entrance?"

Grey, lilac-grey is the next colour which chooses to overcome the jewel beneath Yuta's right eye. He doesn't attempt to cover the frown which plants itself on his features. It seems as though he is lost for words as he turns his back to the mortal. In this position, Sicheng is able to catch a glimpse of the two, evenly spaced holes within the fabric of his jacket, obviously placed this way to provide room for the wings which he could bear when he pleased. The mortal hadn't seen them for many years, part of him missed the sight of power and pure beauty which overcame Yuta when he stood tall with the darkened wings resting on his back. Even when he was lazy with them, allowing for the ends to drag along the floor as he walked, it was a sight which Sicheng cannot help but hope he well get to witness again soon.

"You did it on purpose," He mutters, bewildered and confused.

"Of course you would assume that," Resentment drips from each syllable which falls from Yuta's delicate lips. Yet, it is clear the resentment is not toward the one before him, but someone who is not even within the same realm. This only causes for Sicheng to grow more intoxicated by all the elements of this situation which he can't find himself understanding. The anger, being caused by Yuta, it was different than being angered by Jaehyun or anyone else. Any emotion caused by the magical creature who adorned black so well, seemed to be enhanced to a point where the mortal sometimes felt as though it would break him. The joy might kill him with its overwhelming sense of euphoria. The anger might kill him due to its overwhelming sense of animosity.

"When will you understand that people tell lies about me, hmm? When will you wrap your brain around the fact that not every word about me is truth?"

The mortal is again, taken back by the older's words. He doesn't have to bite his tongue in order to keep quiet as he has no words which seem appropriate or necessary in this moment or at this time. So he opts to merely watch the movements of the dark haired male who stands still, the only movement being the rise and fall of his shoulders as they appear to be quite the weight as he ponders what he wants to speak next.

"Everyone spreads the nastiest of lies about me, Sicheng," He almost sounds broken. It truly stings the younger as he finds himself obliviously lowering his gaze to the ground, no longer finding himself worthy of gazing upon the former. "It's what people do when they're truly afraid...And they're afraid of me. They always have been and they always will be. They don't understand my power nor can they make sense of who I am. I sometimes wonder whether they would be more accepting of me if I were a vampire. At least they'd understand me more and maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't try to surround my entire existence with a fortress of lies. Maybe they would look past the murderous nature of my younger blood and actually take notice of all the kindness, all the acts that I have committed with their best interests in mind."

The whispers within the breeze come to an immediate halt as Yuta unleashes this speech. All of who are within an ear's reach of what has just been said, find themselves quite shocked as to this revelation. No one — no thing — as much as Sicheng. He had no idea that his childhood friend had any feelings of this kind regarding the way as to which he was regarded by many. It was clear that he was referring to the people of Petulantia as he spoke. He truly cared for them, he truly wanted them to be safe and to be satisfied. Yet they all saw him as a monster, except for his loyal cadre and no doubt all the other loyal supporters who were most definitely located within his quarters.

"What happened?" Sicheng asks, his voice barely a whisper. "What happened for everyone to turn against you? What happened with Taeyong? What happened with my mother?"

Yuta just chuckles, lowering his head as he hears the rapid fire of questions. Each move is swift, yet calculated to the fullest as he turns on his heel, walking over to the mortal as he forces the latter to back up until his back is pressed against the cool surface of the rock. Sicheng feels his heart starting to beat at a pace quick enough that it is almost breaking through his chest as his gaze meets with the older's. The jewel reflects a black shade as Yuta smirks devilishly. He is fully aware of the affect he is having on the younger. He is completely aware of the fact that Sicheng can feel the heat of his breath against his lips as there is only a few centimetres between them.

"Your questions will be answered in due time," Yuta's eyes move to the younger's lips and remain there for a moment too long before returning to the other's eyes. Sicheng feels himself heating up as he takes notice of the sultry laced emotion which has taken hold of his childhood friend.

Sicheng didn't get a chance to brace himself as a sudden gust of wind ruffles his hair slightly. He finds himself being covered with shadows as Yuta's wings have unfurled, displaying their full grandeur. The familiar beauty of the darkly outlined, deep blue wings certainly don't cease to amaze the younger who's mouth falls open at the spectacle. He raises his right hand with caution, knowing Yuta watches his every move. The dark haired younger uses a touch as delicate as a swan, as he softly traces one of the membranes. The older's body immediately riles up with tension as he fails to hold in a whisper of a gasp which escapes his mouth. His own hand lurches upward, clutching Sicheng's wrist.

"My wings are...Sensitive," His voice has suddenly become quite raw. He makes no move to let go of the mortal's wrist, instead lowering it to be placed at his side. He manipulates his grip to have his fingers intertwined with the younger's before lowering his eyes to stare upon their now joined hands. "As much as they provide immense pain when wounded, they also provide immense pleasure when touched."

Sicheng closes his mouth, noticing the gulp which is taken by the former as he tightens his grip on his hand. He leans forward and rests his forehead against his own, allowing for their breaths to mingle for a few moments.

"Those of us, who are lucky enough to carter wings, can get off by merely having them being touched in the right ways."

"I-I had no idea," Sicheng disclosures, feeling himself becoming heated within his nether regions at the sudden realisation of the tension which is forming between the pair. He dares to move his eyes to meet with the older's again, allowing for his vulnerability to be on full display. The dark haired male seems to be thinking through his next movement as he moves his eyes to the lips of the younger for a final time.

Without another word, he steps backward, letting go of Sicheng in the process. The latter finds himself releasing a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding. His wings barely make a sound as they fold themselves back into the hidden crevices of his muscled back. Just as the mortal goes to whine about the sudden loss of the close contact along with the shadow provided by the wings, he hears something crunch on the ground nearby.

"Rabid Noir," Yuta voices the name with amusement.

Sicheng looks towards the ground by Yuta's feet, eyes widening in pure horror as to what he sees. A rabbit — if you could call it that — was crouched by the magical being's foot. The typical fur and cute exterior you would expect to see from something of its kind was no where in sight. Instead, it appeared as though it's fur had been stripped away, along with its skin. No, it was not a skeleton but a shell of raw, pink muscle which took form of the animal. It's eyes were not the beady orbs you'd typically expect, but two gaping holes of ebony.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Yuta sounds quite courteous as he smiles at the rabbit. Any of the sultriness which had filled his tone from the moments prior had simply vanished. The jewel beneath his eye flooding to be a shade of blue, having had his calmed state take over.

"You are required back at home, we are having some issues," Rabid Noir sounded just as any person would. His mouth moved as he perfectly pronounced each syllable. Sicheng would have to inquire about this creature to his dream friend at a later stage.

"What's the matter?" The older's expression fades to be one filled with concern as he only hopes his thoughts are no where near the truth.

"That mortal, Jaehyun?" The rabbit pauses, only to continue after seeing the nod of confirmation from the powered male. "The shapeshifter got to him, he's been taken by Taeyong."


	8. seven.

Jaehyun felt his heat drop once he witnessed Sicheng and Yuta simply vanishing from his sight. He had been left alone with eight men who were the most dangerous fighters who had ever come into existence. To add to the stresses of this, he was certain that at least six of these men couldn't care less if he died. Having his mortal friend leave that easily truly wasn't what he had hoped. Where to go from here, he had no clue. His surroundings were still foreign, almost as foreign as the aura of magic which heavily accentuated this place.

"Of course he leaves us with the mortal," San is visibly agitated as he whines this aloud. He huffs and puffs almost like a child as he walks over to their leader who bears the red diamond shape across his eye. He murmurs something in his ear, waiting for the older to nod in agreement before walking past Jaehyun. He is followed by the rest of the cadre who seem to be more than happy to leave the entry-way.

"Are you tired? Hungry? Thirsty?" Seonghwa asks, tone flat.

"Where did Yuta take Sicheng?" Jaehyun chooses to ignore the other's question as he simply asks his own. He couldn't give a damn for what is possibly a fake appearance of hospitality as he just wants to be at his friends side once more. Not that he would ever admit it out loud, he just feels safer when they're together.

"I'll take you to the bathing hall for guests, the fae will be more than able to help you out," The light haired male also chooses to ignore the mortals question. His gaze suggests that two can play at this game as he takes a few steps toward him. He speaks no further words as he gestures for the stunned mortal to follow him.

The pair swiftly wander down the same corridor which the other members of the cadre had previously walked down. Each step quickly began to drag slightly more than the other for Jaehyun who found himself struggling to keep up with the highly trained male before him. He could barely focus on the architecture or any of the features of the walls or doors which they walked through.

Had he not have been in the presence of such a powerful male, he may have thrown up from the exhaustion by the time they came to a joyous stop. Daring to focus on his surrounds, Jaehyun feels a shudder of fear flicker through him as he notices a large, claw footed, ceramic tub filled to the brim with steaming water. Vines delicately wrapped themselves around the base of the tub. A mirror had been placed beside the tub, in a position which allowed for anyone who were inside the water to be able to examine their own reflection.

Yet, it wasn't the tub which scared him. It was the half naked woman who stood beside it. A lady with pointed ears had a deep green coloured cloth wrapped around her waist, which barely covered any of her nether region. A see through, sparkling fabric shirt had been placed over her torso, doing nothing to cover her breasts. Her brown hair was long enough that it reached her knees as she eyed the mortal up and down, licking her lips as though she were ready for a feasting.

"Yuta failed to mention the mortal he'd sent for was so attractive," Her voice didn't sound as though it belonged to her alone. It almost echoed, a hiss — similar to that of a snakes — laced each and every syllable she spoke. Jaehyun couldn't help but flinch as she walked over to him and dragged her hand from his shoulders down to his stomach. "He's almost as well built as you are, Hwa."

She moves to grab Jaehyun in a place which causes for him to step backward in a rush. He coughs awkwardly as he turns his head to gaze upon the light haired male who still holds no emotion within his gaze.

"Is she not good enough? I can send for another," He says nonchalantly. "Unless you'd wish for a male?"

"No thanks," The mortal shakes his head quickly. "I think I'd prefer to bathe alone."

The woman sighs, looking visibly disappointed as she hears this. "Don't leave me waiting Hwa," Is all she says before wasting no further time in exiting the room.

Seonghwa picks up on Jaehyun's confusion filled state as he offers to provide a somewhat brief explanation regarding the occurrences he just sat through.

"I've never fucked her if that's what you're wondering," He remarks with the slightest look of amusement. "She has always wished me to but I've never granted it to her. The fae are here to merely provide pleasure to Yuta's soldiers and guests. The Master could use their services but similar to myself, he chooses not too. Their services are an excellent distraction if that's your thing."

"Why haven't you slept with her? The way she spoke to you suggested you two share a past that goes beyond merely seeing each other in the halls," Jaehyun presses for further information.

Seonghwa's faint look of amusement grows into a playful grin as he seems to be recalling the memories of his past with that woman from earlier. It takes the passing of several moments before he seems to realise he isn't voicing any explanations.

"When I was younger and more naive, I may or may not have made out with her. Things went to turn heated and layers of clothing were removed, but I stopped before she could even touch me where she desired to lick most. You may ask why, and that is indeed because I am in love with another."

Jaehyun goes to ask who, but he is interrupted as the other suddenly uses his hand to gesture towards the steaming water.

"You better get in before it cools. I'll be waiting on the other side of the door, ready to lead you to the room where you'll be staying whilst you're here," He states before turning on his heel. He doesn't give the mortal a chance to respond or voice any queries before he leaves the room.

Jaehyun lingers in the same spot for a few minutes as he tries to regather all his senses. He turns his head back toward the tub where a folded set of clothes seem to have been placed on top of a small table which is at its side. Fresh towels hang from rails connected to the wall beside it.

He supposed the hot water could be relaxing. The past few days have been insane. Considering he was typical minded, never believing in magic, being captured by so called flowers and then witnessing his friend being blackmailed into almost drowning was quite the experience which he had never wanted.

Slowly, he begins the process of undressing. After the final piece of fabric which covers his lower half hits the floor, he wastes no time in stepping into the large tub. The steaming water appears much warmer than what he was expecting. Instead of boiling him alive, the temperature seems to automatically adjust itself as it turns a soothing warmth that causes for a sigh to escape from his lips. The built up tension all over him begins to cease, the effortless task of laying with his head rested back like this is quickly working many wonders all over his worn out figure.

No matter how calming the water, it cannot stop the mortal's thoughts from going into overdrive. He worries for his parents who are back home. Typically, he would text them each day. Even if it were a mere text saying he loved them, they made him promise to do so for it was how they could be assured he was okay. He was unsure how the time gaps worked between Petulantia and Earth. He could only hope that his sudden disappearance had been covered somehow.

Along with this, he was still in disbelief about the fact that he dated someone who possessed abilities. Shuhua has always seemed to be the norm. Yes she was quite beautiful and talented which was far from many of the other girls whom he had seen, but she never came across as someone who could turn into a beast—quite literally.

Surely she had planned to reveal it to him at some stage. What other reason could she have possibly stayed with him for? It had become quite clear that she had no purpose staying in the mortal realm when she had such a solid stance within this place. Why waste time with a weak mortal such as him? It all made no sense.

He was almost certain that he would never get to hear a proper explanation, especially when he was caught up in Yuta's household which is filled to the brim with the strongest warriors who would stop at nothing to ensure that Shu would never be able to enter. Having seen her appear as a bandersnatch who wanted to tear them apart hours prior, Jaehyun knew she was part of the enemy.

The dark thoughts which were suddenly drowning out any thoughts of positivity were enough to strip the water of all calming effects. Jaehyun decided it was time get out and face the situation he was currently in before he wound up shrivelling into a prune. He makes his way out of the tub, reaching for a towel to use to dry himself. Assuring his body has been patted dry enough, he slips into the clothes provided for him. These consisted of black trousers, a deep red shirt with a black tunic. He didn't bother questioning the choice of fashion as clean clothes were clean clothes.

He had only just shrugged on his tunic by when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. His body turned to face the other direction rapidly, expecting to see Seonghwa having returned. Yet, he was quite surprised as he saw Shuhua standing before him with her head held low. Hair out, cascading to just above her waist, the black dress which clings tightly to her torso particularly looks foreign, a brilliant ruby placed in the centre of her chest above her breasts.

"Jae," She breathes his name.

"Get away from me," The mortal responds, voice dark as he rushes to take several steps backward. His back is almost pressed against the door which provides the only entrance or exit to the room. This only leaves him pondering how she got in here. Being a shifter, she must have the magic to simply teleport wherever she wishes to go.

"Please don't look at me like that," Shu pleads him, sounding almost broken. "You look at me as though I were some kind of monster. This was never meant to happen, you weren't meant to be involved."

"How could I believe you to be anything but a monster? You speak as though you didn't try to kill me this morning," Jaehyun wishes he was joking or even exaggerating as he spoke of the days events.

"I had no choice, you have to believe me," She isn't going to drop her side of the case. The younger takes a small step forward, causing for the mortal to take the final step required to be fully pressed against the door.

He goes to grab the handle, hoping to open it and allow for Seonghwa to enter and do his thing, but he is unable to as Shuhua tilts her head to the side. The lock clicks into place. Jaehyun feels himself beginning to grow unsteady as he tugs on the handle, it doesn't budge. A banging sound can be heard from the other side as it seems that the cadre leader has noticed the situation. Jaehyun can't hear a word he says as everything from the other side of the wooden surface comes through to be quite muffled.

"He can't get in here unless I let him, he is still in the unknown about me being here," Shu explains quietly. "To his knowledge, you've locked the door and now you're not responding after dropping what sounds to be a razor, to the floor."

"What do you want?" Jaehyun doesn't bother with pleasantries, keeping his tone tense as he glares down to where she stands.

She only softens her gaze further as she delicately walks over to him. He can't move, can't even raise his hands to push her away as she presses her body to his. She raises a hand to trace his jaw line. Once he wouldn't have minded, he would have moved his own hands to her waist. Today was different, having her so close made him want to be sick.

"I want to get my chance to say goodbye," Her tone sounds sorrowful, as though it were doused with a silent apology before she presses her lips to his. His eyes remain open as he tries to push past whatever barrier she's placed on him in order to push her away.

His attempts remain to be a failure, the weight of his eyelids becoming unbearable as they flicker to a close. He could swear he hears her apologising before the sound of the world around him is no more.

•••

Seonghwa was finally able to kick the door open. He drew the blade from the belt under his shirt, holding it before him as he gazed upon the unwanted guest who was standing towards the back of the bathing room. The shifter leaned against the tub which had been drained of water, the mortal seemingly rendered unconscious by her feet. She smirks playfully as she watches the cadre leader cautiously entering the space.

"It's nice to see you, face to face, if you know what I mean," She chuckles darkly.

"Enough with the games, I think you need to leave and leave Jaehyun where he is," Seonghwa speaks as though he were ordering a child around. That is always how he spoke to the shifter, she had never earned his — or anyone under Yuta's rule — respect as she continuously behaved like a loyal lap dog for the Red King.

"It still confuses me as to why fear old Yuta chooses to dress his people in red, the colour of blood, the colour of our King. His Majesty had to assign us all the colour of black, even though it was completely against his entire theme. Quite frustrating really," The shifter seems to not even care about the fact that she is within the heart of her enemy's home.

"Have you forgotten Taeyong and Yuta's past?" The light haired male counters, taking a step closer with his blade still pointed towards her. "Taeyong chose red for his 'theme' because he knew why Yuta had coated his people in it. That jewel which showcases his emotions flashes the deepest of red when he is angry. It tends to be a common expression amongst war. He confided in Taeyong and told him how he would change his colours from the deep violet to that of the bloodiest red if a threat ever took over his throne. In that way, he would be able to use his own method of mise en scene to showcase his constant anger. Taeyong decided to use that against him."

"Wow," Shuhua sounds genuinely surprised to hear this information. She raises her hand, examining her nails briefly before pushing herself off the tub. Maintaining her smile the entire time, her features suddenly fade away as they begin to morph in to the appearance of another. The cadre leader cannot hide the flicker of hurt which flickers over his eyes as he watches his mother standing before him. The entirety of his being knows it is the shifter, but he still misses that maternal figure more than anything. He hates how his final memory of her was discovering her laying in a pool of her own blood back at their home.

"Are you going to stab your own mother?" The voice sounds just like her.

Seonghwa lowers his arm, dropping the blade to the ground. He is the strongest of his cadre, that is why he is in this position. Surely he can stand against a shifter who poses for his deceased mother. He had been trained for scenarios such as this.

He'd been trained.

He caught the shifter by surprise as he suddenly lunges forward, successfully tackling her the ground. He pins her to the ground easily, placing a knee on either side of her waist as he weighs the elderly figure down. His mother was never strong enough to fight back, a poor choice on Shuhua's behalf. She would have been better shifting into his father.

"If only you were privileged enough to see the guest room," Seonghwa snarls as he grabs both of her hands, pressing them down onto the ground in order to ensure she cannot use them for anything. "It's a lot more welcoming and warm than the place where you're headed."

"Oh really?" His mother's voice exclaims before her features morph again. This time, taking the facade of his own. He doesn't have a chance to process this as his duplicate head butts him with enough force that he is pushed to the side. He goes to stand again but is kicked down roughly by the shifter who has managed to get to her feet before him. Being in his muscled form, she is at his level, if not above him.

"If you don't mind, Jae and I will be taking our leave," His voice states firmly. She doesn't bother shifting back to herself as she uses his body to crouch before the still unconscious male. Placing a hand on his arm, the pair merely vanish.

•••

Sicheng couldn't help but feel immense fear as he followed his childhood friend down the halls to the so called bathing room. The entirety of the cadre waited within the room as they waited for the others to arrive. Any slight murmuring which had surfaced was immediately silenced upon Yuta's entrance. The dark haired male's jewel flashed a copper orange as he swiftly walked over to the now emptied tub.

All words which cascaded from Seonghwa's mouth made no legitimate sense as Sicheng tried to gather his thoughts. He left Jaehyun alone and allowed for him to be taken away. There is no telling where the pink haired male now resides. He could have found himself being subjected to horrendous torture, he could be dead. There is no way of telling for sure. All the dark haired male knew was that Yuta better have a plan to save him.

The war for the throne can wait, Jaehyun needs to be returned safely.

"It was Shuhua? You're certain?" Yuta can be heard interrogating the light haired male as he tries to grasp an understanding of the situation which has unfolded before them. "Did she say anything about Taeyong?"

The head of the cadre shook his head solemnly. He bore an expression which suggested he felt a great level of guilt for what had occurred. Being the strongest of the cadre, keeping the shifter at bay should not have been too complicated of a task. Yet, he failed.

"She only briefly mentioned how we adorn the colour of blood, her King's colour."

Yuta's jaw visibly clenches as he hears the mentioning of this. The jewel beneath his eye flashes a dark shade of red briefly before beginning to morph back to the orange. He folds his arms across his chest, seemingly pondering what his next move should be.

"I think we all know what this means," Yuta turns his head to meet Sicheng's gaze, the latter feeling as though his ability to breathe is slowly dissipating. "Taeyong may have a powerful shifter by his side, but what he cares to forget is how we have one of our own."

"We can't," All colour seems to have drained from San's features as he speaks up. "What happened last time we unleashed it, do you truly wish to risk it again?"

The remainder of the cadre have all lost the colour within their cheeks as their concerned gazes flood in the direction of the powerful figure. Whatever they speak of, it has to be quite horrifying to initiate such a fearful approach. Sicheng knows for certain that he would prefer to not utilise whatever being Yuta was about to name.

"I'm afraid we have no choice in the matter," Yuta mutters, almost miserably, jewel fading to a light blue as he turns his head to gaze at the tub, then to his men once more. "Seonghwa, Mingi, Sicheng, the three of you will be required to pay the Palace of Dreams a visit. One is long overdue."

"Not to be disrespectful," The red haired male speaks, his tone low as he lowers his gaze to the floor. "I do not believe this task can be completed efficiently if Seonghwa and I are sent together alone."

"Which is why I'm sending Sicheng," Yuta sounds absurd enough that even Seonghwa has raised his head to glare at the older in shock. "Consider this to be a life or death situation which will bond your frayed threads."

"Wouldn't I be a liability?" The mortal's query bears an undeniable weight to it as it sparks the thoughts of the other cadre members.

"Hongjoong, you can go too," Yuta remarks simply. The shorter doesn't say anything as he merely nods in acceptance of the task which has been thrown onto the four of them. "You will depart tomorrow morning and have returned within 72 hours, am I clear?"

A chorus of murmurs in agreement echo throughout the room, no one daring to disagree. Sicheng notices the look filled with dread and resentment which is shared between both Mingi and Seonghwa as the powered male who stood by the tub now move to exit the room. The mortal hurries to follow him, hoping to receive further clarification. Yet, he is brought to a crashing halt as Hongjoong grabs onto the sleeve of his shirt.

"Yuta needs rest, this whole matter is quite...stressful," He says calmly.

"You think?!" Sicheng snaps on instinct. "It is my mortal best friend who has been taken away to gods know where!"

"It isn't going to help him at all if you just yell at us all. What I suggest is that you allow for us to get you cleaned up and rested as this next journey you'll be evoking on will require your upmost strength. Physically, yes, but most importantly, your psychological state needs to be at its strongest."

Hongjoong doesn't loosen his grip at all, making it clear the importance and severity of this situation. Sicheng honestly feels too afraid of what could happen to his friend to refuse as he finds himself, effortlessly nodding his head in surrender.

"Okay."


End file.
